Standard Lemma guide

parasite

noun · verb · 11 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.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈpæɹəˌsaɪt/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈpæɹəˌsaɪt/
  • General-American: /ˈpɛɹəˌsaɪt/
  • rhymes with -aɪt
  • CMU ARPABET: P EH1 R AH0 S AY2 T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An organism that lives on or in another organism of a different species, deriving benefit from living on or in that other organism, while not contributing towards that other organism sufficiently to cover the cost to that other organism.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

Examples

  • Lice, fleas, ticks, and mites are widely spread parasites.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An organism that lives on or in another organism of a different species, deriving benefit from living on or in that other organism, while not contributing towards that other organism sufficiently to cover the cost to that other organism.

An internal parasite that is an animal or protist.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal, specifically

Topics: biology, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A person who lives on other people's efforts or expense and gives little or nothing back.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: bloodsucker, bludger, bummer, freeloader, free rider, gadfly, leech, mooch, moocher, parasite, scrounge, scrounger, scunge, smell-feast, sponge, sponger, sucker, trencher mate

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A sycophant or hanger-on.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: derogatory

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A climbing plant which is supported by a wall, trellis etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: literary, poetic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A retainer or companion of an ancient Celtic warrior, who praised him in song or poetry at gatherings; a bard.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

A component of a composite aircraft which is carried aloft and air-launched by a larger carrier aircraft or mother ship to support the primary mission of the carrier; a parasite aircraft.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: aeronautics, aerospace, aviation, business, engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

An isolated (FSDU) (freestanding display unit )

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: attributive

Topics: business, commerce, retail

Examples

  • parasite display
  • parasite stand
  • parasite unit

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To parasitize.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

noun

Meaning 10

an animal or plant that lives in or on a host (another animal or plant); it obtains nourishment from the host without benefiting or killing the host

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: host

Broader terms: organism, being

Narrower terms: endoparasite, entoparasite, entozoan, entozoon, endozoan, ectoparasite, ectozoan, ectozoon, epizoan, epizoon, parasitic plant

11

noun

Meaning 11

a follower who hangs around a host (without benefit to the host) in hope of gain or advantage

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: leech, sponge, sponger

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: follower

History

Etymology

From Middle French parasite, from Latin parasitus, from Ancient Greek παράσιτος (parásitos, “person who eats at the table of another”), from noun use of adjective meaning "feeding beside", from παρά (pará, “beside”) + σῖτος (sîtos, “food”).

Across languages

Translations

181 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: parasiet — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Arabic: طُفَيْلِيّ (ṭufayliyy) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Armenian: պորտաբույծ (portabuyc) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Armenian: ձրիակեր (jriaker) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Asturian: parásitu — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Azerbaijani: müftəxor — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Azerbaijani: müftə yeyən — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Belarusian: паразі́т (parazít) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Belarusian: паразы́т (parazýt) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Belarusian: дармае́д (darmajéd) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Belarusian: чужае́д (čužajéd) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Bulgarian: парази́т (parazít) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Burmese: ကပ်ပါး (kappa:) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Catalan: paràsit — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Chinese Mandarin: 寄生蟲 /寄生虫 (jìshēngchóng) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Chinese Mandarin: 食客 (shíkè) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Czech: parazit — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Czech: příživník — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Danish: parasit — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Dutch: parasiet — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Dutch: profiteur — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Finnish: parasiitti — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • French: parasite — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • French: profiteur — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Galician: parásito — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • German: Parasit — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Greek: παράσιτο (parásito) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Ancient Greek: παράσιτος (parásitos) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Hebrew: פָּרָזִיט (parazít) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Hindi: परजीवी (parjīvī) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Hungarian: élősködő — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Hungarian: parazita — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Icelandic: sníkjudýr — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Icelandic: afæta — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Irish: péist — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Irish: diúgaire — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Irish: súmaire — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Irish: sceartán — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Irish: siolpaire — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Irish: trumpa — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Italian: parassita — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Japanese: 寄生虫 (kiseichū) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Central Kurdish: مشەخۆر (mşexor) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Latin: parasītus — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Latin: parasīta — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Macedonian: паразит (parazit) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Malay: bendalu — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Māori: parakūkā — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Māori: kaitahaumu — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Norwegian Bokmål: parasitt — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: parasitt — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Iranian Persian: طُفَیل (tofeyl) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Polish: pasożyt — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Polish: darmozjad — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Polish: parazyt — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Portuguese: parasita — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Romanian: parazit — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Romanian: parazită — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Russian: парази́т (parazít) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Russian: нахле́бник (naxlébnik) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Russian: тунея́дец (tunejádec) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Russian: дармое́д (darmojéd) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Russian: прижива́л (priživál) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Russian: прижива́ла (priživála) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Serbo-Croatian: гото̀ва̄н — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Serbo-Croatian: гото̀ва̄нка — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Serbo-Croatian: на́метнӣк — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Serbo-Croatian: пара̀зӣт — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Serbo-Croatian: gotòvān — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Serbo-Croatian: gotòvānka — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Serbo-Croatian: námetnīk — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Serbo-Croatian: paràzīt — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Slovak: parazit — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Slovak: príživník — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Slovene: parazit — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Spanish: parásito — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Swedish: parasit — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Tamil: ஒட்டுண்ணி (oṭṭuṇṇi) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Ottoman Turkish: طفیلی (tufeyli) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Ottoman Turkish: اویونتی (uyuntu) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Ottoman Turkish: اویونتو (uyuntu) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Ukrainian: парази́т (parazýt) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Ukrainian: дармої́д (darmojíd) — useless person who always relies on other people's work and gives nothing back
  • Afrikaans: parasiet — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Albanian: parazit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Amharic: ጥገኛ ነፍሳት (ṭəgäña näfsat) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Arabic: طُفِيل (ṭufīl) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Armenian: մակաբույծ (makabuyc) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Asturian: parásitu — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Azerbaijani: parazit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Azerbaijani: tüfeyli — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Azerbaijani: tüfeyl — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Belarusian: паразі́т (parazít) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Belarusian: паразы́т (parazýt) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Bengali: পরজীবী (porjibi) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Bulgarian: парази́т (parazít) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Burmese: ကပ်ပါး (kappa:) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Catalan: paràsit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Chinese Mandarin: 寄生物 (jìshēngwù) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Chinese Mandarin: 寄生蟲 /寄生虫 (jìshēngchóng) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Czech: cizopasník — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Czech: parazit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Danish: parasit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Dutch: parasiet — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Esperanto: parazito — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Estonian: parasiit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Finnish: loinen — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • French: parasite — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Friulian: parasit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Galician: parásito — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Georgian: პარაზიტი (ṗaraziṭi) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • German: Schmarotzer — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • German: Parasit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Greek: παράσιτο (parásito) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Hebrew: טַפִּיל (tapil) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Hebrew: פָּרָזִיט (parazít) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Hindi: परजीवी (parjīvī) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Hungarian: élősködő — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Hungarian: parazita — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Icelandic: sníkill — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Icelandic: sníkjudýr — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Ido: parazito — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Indonesian: parasit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Irish: seadán — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Italian: parassita — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Japanese: 寄生虫 (kiseichū) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Japanese: 寄生物 (kiseibutsu) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Kazakh: паразит (parazit) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Khmer: បរាសិត (paʼraasət) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Khmer: បញ្ញើក្អែក (baññaə kʼaek) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Korean: 기생충 (gisaengchung) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Korean: 기생물 (gisaengmul) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Korean: 기생식물 (gisaengsingmul) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Central Kurdish: چڵکاوخۆر (çillkawxor) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Kyrgyz: паразит (parazit) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Latin: parasītus — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Latvian: parazīts — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Lithuanian: parazitas — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Macedonian: паразит (parazit) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Malay: parasit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Māori: pirinoa — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Norwegian Bokmål: parasitt — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: parasitt — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Iranian Persian: اَنْگَل (angal) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Piedmontese: parassit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Polish: pasożyt — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Portuguese: parasita — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Portuguese: verme — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Romanian: parazit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Russian: парази́т (parazít) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Serbo-Croatian: на́метнӣк — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Serbo-Croatian: пара̀зӣт — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Serbo-Croatian: námetnīk — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Serbo-Croatian: paràzīt — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Slovak: parazit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Slovene: parazit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Spanish: parásito — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Swahili: kimelea — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Swedish: parasit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Tagalog: sasandig — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Tagalog: parasito — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Tajik: паразит (parazit) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Tajik: ангал (angal) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Tamil: ஒட்டுண்ணி (oṭṭuṇṇi) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Telugu: పరాన్నజీవి (parānnajīvi) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Thai: ปรสิต (bpà-rá-sìt) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Turkish: parazit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Turkish: asalak — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Ottoman Turkish: طفیل (tufeyl) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Ottoman Turkish: طفیلی (tufeyli) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Turkmen: parazit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Ukrainian: парази́т (parazýt) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Urdu: طُفَیلی (tufailī) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Urdu: اَمَر بیل (amar bel) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Urdu: آکاش بیل (ākāś bel) — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Uzbek: parazit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Vietnamese: kí sinh trùng — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Vietnamese: vật ký sinh — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Volapük: parasit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Welsh: arfilyn — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism
  • Welsh: parasit — (biology) organism that exists by stealing resources from another organism