horseleech

American  

[hawrs-leech] / ˈhɔrsˌlitʃ /

noun

1. a large leech, as Haemopis marmoratis, that infests the mouth and nasal passages of horses.

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horseleech British  

/ ˈhɔːsˌliːtʃ /

noun

1. any of several large carnivorous freshwater leeches of the genus Haemopis, esp H. sanguisuga

2. an archaic name for a veterinary surgeon

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Etymology

Origin of horseleech

First recorded in 1400–50, horseleech is from the late Middle English word horsleych. See horse, leech ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

horseleech

Mr. Pabsby was indeed a horseleech of the severest kind.

From Ralph the Heir by Trollope, Anthony

I want also—I am the daughter of the horseleech truly—“Black’s new large map of Scotland,” sheets 3, 4, and 5, a 7s. 6d. touch.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 25 (of 25) by Lang, Andrew

Prince d'Artois has withal the strangest horseleech: a moonstruck, much-enduring individual, of Neuchatel in Switzerland,—named Jean Paul Marat.

From The French Revolution by Carlyle, Thomas

Nay, at this moment it stalks into this Senate, crying, like the daughters of the horseleech, "Give! give."

From American Eloquence, Volume 2 Studies In American Political History (1896) by Johnston, Alexander

Could I be one of their flattering panders, I would hang on their ears like a horseleech, till I were full, and then drop off.

From The Duchess of Malfi by Webster, John