deer tick

American  

[deer tik] / ˈdɪər ˌtɪk /

noun

• deer ticks
  plural

1. any of various ticks of the genus Ixodes that are parasitic on deer and other mammals and are vectors of Lyme disease and other infectious diseases.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• deer ticks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of deer tick

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deer tick

But the western blacklegged tick, known as the deer tick in most of the country, is common in the state’s chaparral, grasslands and woods, and can transmit Lyme disease, babesiosis and other pathogens.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026

All the ticks that tested positive for the Powassan virus also were positive for the lineage II deer tick virus.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 26, 2024

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bite of an infected black-legged tick, commonly known as a deer tick.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2024

For example, deer and rodent habitats are increasingly overlapping with human communities—and all three species are hosts for the blacklegged tick, also aptly named the deer tick.

From Scientific American ● Jun. 14, 2023

No less arresting is Lyme disease, which comes from the bite of a tiny deer tick.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson