parasitic
parasitic
Definition
para·sitic (par′ə sit′ik)
adjective
- of or like a parasite; living at the expense of others
- caused by parasites, as a disease
- of or designating a subsidiary volcano, crater, etc. that forms on the side of another one
Etymology: L parasiticus < Gr parasitikos
par′a·sit′i·cally adverb
parasitic
Usage Examples
Modifying Another Word
- not: They are evidently not parasitic; their source of food is unknown.
- always: But surely the study of culture is always parasitic on history?
- essentially: The economics and the psychology of these elements is essentially parasitic in character.
- entirely: The plant is entirely parasitic on Nettles and feeds on their sap using especially adapted ' suckers ' .
- increasingly: It is an increasingly parasitic class, driven by its own short-term interests.
- partially: The plant itself is extraordinary, being partially parasitic.
Preposition: on
- plant: These are usually parasitic on aquatic plants or fish.
- animal: Many live in soil or in salt- or fresh- water; others are parasitic on animals and plants.
- one: Whereas false ministries like the cults and denominational liberalism are parasitic on authentic ones.
Modifies a noun
- nematode: Plant parasitic nematodes cause over $ 125 billion annual losses to world agriculture.
- wasp: However, parasitic wasps are quick to find the eggs.
- protozoon: This booklet illustrates the extent of parasitic protozoa in the British wild fauna.
- capacitance: Increasing switch size to reduce on resistance adds to the parasitic capacitance, thus slowing the operation.
- infestation: Lack of parasitic infestation might explain some of the increase in allergies during the past 30 years.
- helminth: This parasite must be considered one of the most pathogenic of the parasitic helminths.
Used with adjective complement
- become: Interest happens to be the income of a social group that has been known from time to time to become particularly parasitic.
Preposition: in
Browse dictionary entries near parasitic
- parasite drag
- parasite
- parashah
- parasexual
- paraselene
- parasang
- parasail
- pararosaniline
- pararescue
- paraquat
