parasitize

American

[par-uh-si-tahyz, -sahy-] / ˈpær ə sɪˌtaɪz, -saɪ- /

especially British, parasitise

verb (used with object)

parasitized, parasitizing

to live on (a host) as a parasite.

parasitize British

/ -saɪ-, ˈpærəsɪˌtaɪz /

verb

to infest or infect with parasites
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

Other Word Forms

unparasitized

adjective

Etymology

Origin of parasitize

First recorded in 1885–90; parasite + -ize

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