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medicinal leech

noun

a bloodsucking leech, Hirudo medicinalis, of Europe, introduced into the northeastern United States, usually green with brown stripes, up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) long: once used by physicians to bleed patients.

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Origin of medicinal leech

First recorded in 1885–90

Words nearby medicinal leech

Medici, medicide, Medici, Lorenzo de, medicinable, medicinal, medicinal leech, medicine, medicine ball, Medicine Bow Range, Medicine Bow River, medicine bundle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

British Dictionary definitions for medicinal leech

medicinal leech

noun

a large European freshwater leech, Hirudo medicinalis, formerly used in medical bloodletting
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