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parasitize

[ par-uh-si-tahyz, -sahy- ]

verb (used with object)

, par·a·si·tized, par·a·si·tiz·ing.
  1. to live on (a host) as a parasite.


parasitize

/ -saɪ-; ˈpærəsɪˌtaɪz /

verb

  1. to infest or infect with parasites
  2. to live on (another organism) as a parasite
“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


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Other Words From

  • un·para·si·tized adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of parasitize1

First recorded in 1885–90; parasite + -ize
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Example Sentences

Another 39 of the parasitized slugs let parts of their bodies slowly fall away.

Glaw was reminded of “parasites that eat the animal from the inside,” having seen such fatally parasitized insects before.

Primary larvae of the parasite failed to parasitize Supella.

Two roundworms were found to parasitize the guts of the salamanders; the parasitism looks to be benign.

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parasitismparasitoid