parasitoid

American  

[par-uh-si-toid, -sahy-] / ˈpær ə sɪˌtɔɪd, -saɪ- /

noun

1. an organism that practices parasitoidism.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a parasite, especially one practicing parasitoidism.

parasitoid British  

/ ˈpærəsɪˌtɔːd /

noun

1. zoology an animal, esp an insect, that is parasitic during the larval stage of its life cycle but becomes free-living when adult

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parasitoid Scientific  

/ păr′ə-sĭ-toid′,-sī′toid /

1. Any of various insects, such as the ichneumon fly, whose larvae are parasites that eventually kill their hosts. The adult parasitoid deposits an egg on or inside the body of its host, typically the larva of another arthropod. When the egg hatches, the parasitoid larva feeds on the host's tissues, gradually killing it.

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Etymology

Origin of parasitoid

1920–25; < New Latin Parasitoïdea (1913); see parasite, -oid

Compare meaning

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

• parasite vs. parasitoid

Example Sentences

By the time Matvey Nikelshparg was 13, he was obsessed with parasitoid wasps, tiny insects that lay their eggs on or inside other bugs.

From New York Times • Sep. 21, 2023

Despite their ecological importance, very little is known about many groups of parasitoid wasps, including Loboscelidia.

From Science Daily • Sep. 19, 2023

Egg- laying females of two species of parasitoid wasps were studied in special growth chambers in which a food source was either provided or omitted.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

In each ecosystem, the plant served as food for two species of aphids, which in turn fed a parasitoid wasp.

From Scientific American • Mar. 31, 2022

But the researchers also found an interesting twist—at least one of the PKF-harboring viruses is transmitted to moths and butterflies by the basket-cocoon parasitoid, protecting the very wasp whose larvae can survive its assaults.

From Science Magazine • Jul. 29, 2021