parasite
noun/ˈpærəsaɪt/
/ˈpærəsaɪt/
- a small animal or plant that lives on or inside another animal or plant and gets its food from it
- fleas, lice and other parasites
- an intestinal parasite of cattle
Extra ExamplesTopics Health problemsc1, Biologyc1- These flies carry a dangerous parasite.
- Your contaminated fingers can transmit the parasite to many surfaces.
- the parasite that causes malaria
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- common
- dangerous
- deadly
- …
- carry
- have
- pick up
- …
- infect somebody/something
- cause something
- (disapproving) a person who always relies on or benefits from other people and gives nothing back
- He regards students as parasites on society.
Word Originmid 16th cent.: via Latin from Greek parasitos ‘(person) eating at another's table’, from para- ‘alongside’ + sitos ‘food’.
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parasite