- (n.) An animal which steals the food of another, as the parasitic jager.
- (n.) An animal which lives during the whole or part of its existence on or in the body of some other animal, feeding upon its food, blood or tissues, as lice, tapeworms, etc.
- (n.) An animal which habitually uses the nest of another, as the cowbird and the European cuckoo.
- (n.) A plant living on or within an animal, and supported at its expense, as many species of fungi of the genus Torrubia.
- (n.) One who frequents the tables of the rich or who lives at another's expense, and earns his welcome by flattery; a hanger-on; a toady; a sycophant.
- (n.) A plant obtaining nourishment immediately from other plants to which it attaches itself, and whose juices it absorbs; -- sometimes, but erroneously, called epiphyte.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). parasite. Retrieved September 24, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/parasite/definitions/2042107 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "parasite" http://smartdefine.org/parasite/definitions/2042107 (accessed September 24, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, parasite, Smart Define, viewed 24 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/parasite/definitions/2042107>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "parasite" 27 May 2011. Web. 24 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/parasite/definitions/2042107> |