definitive host
Save This Word!
noun Zoology.
the host in or on which a parasite spends the sexual stage of its life cycle.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
Origin of definitive host
First recorded in 1900–05
Words nearby definitive host
definite relative clause, definite relative pronoun, definition, definitions, definitive, definitive host, definitively, definitive plumage, definitize, definitude, deflagrate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for definitive host
Medical definitions for definitive host
definitive host
[ dĭ-fĭn′ĭ-tĭv ]
n.
A host in which a parasite develops to an adult or sexually mature stage.final host
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Scientific definitions for definitive host
definitive host
[ dĭ-fĭn′ĭ-tĭv ]
See under host.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.