- pronunciation:
- pae
r
saIt
- features:
- Word History, Word Explorer, Word Parts
| part of speech: |
noun |
| definition: |
a plant, animal, or fungus that lives on or in another living thing, called the host. A parasite gets its food and energy from the host organism.
Several diseases are caused by parasites that live in the intestine. |
Parasite comes from an ancient Greek word for someone who earned free meals at the table of another by flattering the host during dinner.
The word parasite
contains the following part:
para-
Greek
prefix
that means
beside, alongside
Example words: