ectoparasite

American

[ek-toh-par-uh-sahyt] / ˌɛk toʊˈpær əˌsaɪt /

noun

an external parasite (opposed to endoparasite).

ectoparasite British

/ ˌɛktəʊˌpærəˈsɪtɪk, ˌɛktəʊˈpærəˌsaɪt /

noun

Also called: exoparasite. a parasite, such as the flea, that lives on the outer surface of its host

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ectoparasite Scientific

/ ĕk′tə-păr′ə-sīt′ /

See under parasite

Other Word Forms

ectoparasitic

adjective

Etymology

Origin of ectoparasite

First recorded in 1860–65; ecto- + parasite

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023