intermediate host

American  

noun

Biology.

1. the host in which a parasite undergoes development but does not reach sexual maturity.

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intermediate host British  

noun

1. an animal that acts as host to a parasite that has not yet become sexually mature

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intermediate host Scientific  

/ ĭn′tər-mē′dē-ĭt /

1. See under host

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Etymology

Origin of intermediate host

First recorded in 1875–80

Compare meaning

How does intermediate-host compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• definitive host vs. intermediate host

Example Sentences

The 2009 swine H1N1 virus was a mixing event that led to mammalian adaptation, a process that is not straightforward in any intermediate host.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2024

Viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV-1, Nipah, Hendra and possibly Ebola have all fatally spilled over from bats to humans, sometimes through an intermediate host.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2024

Hendra virus, in Australia, comes to humans from bats, generally through an intermediate host: horses.

From New York Times • Jul. 25, 2023

It’s an oddity that’s drawn renewed attention since COVID-19 broke out in humans—many scientists suspect the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 leaped from bats into people, directly or via an intermediate host.

From Science Magazine • Feb. 21, 2023

The intermediate host, it had turned out, was a small amphibian that was susceptible to commercial insecticide.

From The Lani People by Bone, Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin)