Parasitize

Pronunciation: /ˈpærəˌsaɪtɪz/

Definitions of parasitize

verb to live on or in a host organism and feed on its tissues or body fluids

Example Sentences

A1 Some insects parasitize other insects for survival.

A2 Certain plants can parasitize neighboring plants to obtain nutrients.

B1 The parasite was observed to parasitize the host organism in a controlled experiment.

B2 The research team studied how the new species of parasite could parasitize different animal hosts.

C1 The invasive species has the ability to parasitize a wide range of native plants and animals.

C2 The scientist discovered a unique fungus that can parasitize multiple species of trees in the forest ecosystem.

Examples of parasitize in a Sentence

formal Certain species of insects have evolved to parasitize other organisms for sustenance.

informal I heard that some bugs can parasitize other bugs, it's pretty wild.

slang Dude, did you know that some bugs straight up mooch off of other bugs? That's parasitizing at its finest.

figurative The toxic relationship between the two countries can be likened to one trying to parasitize the resources of the other.

Grammatical Forms of parasitize

• past tense: parasitized
• plural: parasitizes
• comparative: more parasitic
• superlative: most parasitic
• present tense: parasitizes
• future tense: will parasitize
• perfect tense: has parasitized
• continuous tense: is parasitizing
• singular: parasitize
• positive degree: parasitic
• infinitive: to parasitize
• gerund: parasitizing
• participle: parasitized

Origin and Evolution of parasitize

First Known Use: 1601 year

Language of Origin: Greek

Story behind the word: The word 'parasitize' originates from the Greek word 'parasitos', which means 'one who eats at another's table, a dinner guest, a parasite'.

Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'parasitize' has evolved to specifically refer to the action of living as a parasite on or in a host organism and deriving nutrients at the host's expense.