Phrase guide

brood parasitism

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

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Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The practice of some species of animal (the parasites) of relying on another species (the host species) to rear the parasites' young, as practised by certain birds (for example, most species of cuckoo), insects (for example, cuckoo bumblebees) and some other animals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Qualifier: particularly ornithology

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: parasitism

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Dutch: broedparasitisme — parasitical reliance on host for rearing one's young
  • Dutch: nestparasitisme — parasitical reliance on host for rearing one's young