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definitive host
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noun Zoology.
the host in or on which a parasite spends the sexual stage of its life cycle.
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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. 2023
How to use definitive host in a sentence
The mosquito is therefore the definitive host rather than the intermediate, as usually stated.
Handbook of Medical Entomology|William Albert RileyIt is not likely that any intermediate host is necessary for the growth of the larv, prior to their access to the definitive host.
Parasites|T. Spencer Cobbold
Scientific definitions for definitive host
definitive host
[ dÄ-fÄn′Ä-tÄv ]
See under host.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
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