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parasite

UK:^*^*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈpærəsaɪt/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈpærəˌsaɪt/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(par′ə sīt′)

par•a•site /ˈpærəˌsaɪt/USA pronunciation n. [countable]

Microbiologya living being that lives on or within a different plant or animal, from which it obtains nutrients (opposed to host ).
one who receives support from another without giving anything in return.

par•a•sit•ic /ˌpærəˈsɪtɪk/USA pronunciation adj.

par•a•site (par′ə sīt′),USA pronunciation n.

Ecology, Microbiologyan organism that lives on or in an organism of another species, known as the host, from the body of which it obtains nutriment.
a person who receives support, advantage, or the like, from another or others without giving any useful or proper return, as one who lives on the hospitality of others.
Ancient History(in ancient Greece) a person who received free meals in return for amusing or impudent conversation, flattering remarks, etc.

Greek parásītos one who eats at another's table, origin, originally adjective, adjectival: feeding beside, equivalent. to para- para-¹ + sît(os) grain, food + -os adjective, adjectival suffix
Latin parasītus
1530–40

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

parasite /ˈpærəˌsaɪt/ n

an animal or plant that lives in or on another (the host) from which it obtains nourishment. The host does not benefit from the association and is often harmed by it
a person who habitually lives at the expense of others; a sponger

Etymology: 16th Century: via Latin from Greek parasitos one who lives at another's expense, from para-¹ + sitos grainparasitic /ˌpærəˈsɪtɪk/, ˌparaˈsitical adj ˌparaˈsitically adv

'parasite' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

anopheles - host - mistletoe - parasitize - psittacosis - roundworm - sponger - sporozoan - stylops - taenia - trophozoite - anaplasmosis - bankrupt worm - blackhead - bleeder - brood parasite - colacobiosis - cryptozoite - cytozoon - definitive host - dermatozoon - dourine - ectoparasite - ectozoon - endobiotic - endoparasite - endophyte - entozoon - epizoon - glochidium - gregarine - hanger-on - heterophyte - horsehair-blight fungus - host-specific - hyperparasite - intermediate host - leech - lounge lizard - lytta - microfilaria - microparasite - mycoparasite - nongonococcal urethritis - parasite drag - parasitic - parasiticide - parasitism - parasitoid - parasitology

In Lists: Biology, Class Notes 1, Italian Foods, more...

Synonyms: bacteria, parasitoid, saprophyte, epiphyte, fungus, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "parasite" in the title:

a parasite in/on
drove genes for resistance to the malaria parasite
feudal levies of parasite money
Host Exciting Parasite-on-Parasite Action
Parasite words

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⇱ parasite - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

parasite