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

Like COVID-19 and other illnesses, Lyme disease can be chronic, meaning some unfortunate souls bitten just once by a deer tick wind up struggling with the ailment for the rest of their lives.

From Salon ● Mar. 21, 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

A single tick species -- Ixodes scapularis, commonly called the black-legged or deer tick -- accounts for 97% of tick-borne diseases in the United States.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2023

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