parasite
gb/pˈɛɹəsˌaɪt/ us/pˈɛɹəsˌaɪt/
B2
Αγγλικά
~ 7800
Σημασίες
0 σημασίες
Ουσιαστικό
B2
entity
1
organism living on a host
A small animal or plant that lives on or inside another living thing and takes food from it, usually hurting it.
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
a parasite on [an animal / a plant / a person]
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners sometimes use 'parasite' to refer to any germ or microbe. In biology, a parasite is specifically an organism that lives on or in a host and gets nutrients from it, while terms like 'bacteria' or 'virus' refer to different kinds of microorganisms, not all of which are parasites.
Συνώνυμα
organism (More general; refers to any living thing, not only those that live on a host.)
|
pathogen (A disease-causing agent; overlaps when the parasite makes the host sick, but not all parasites are pathogens.)
Αντώνυμα
host (The organism that supports and is used by the parasite, the opposite role in the relationship.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
intestinal parasite
|internal parasite
|external parasite
|parasitic infection
|host and parasite
|blood parasite
Θέματα
biology
|health
|environment
|science
|animals
Παραδείγματα
- The disease is caused by a tiny parasite that lives in the bloodstream.
- Mosquitoes can carry a malaria parasite from one person to another.
- The vet found an intestinal parasite in the dog’s stool and prescribed treatment.
- Some plants act as parasites, stealing water and nutrients from the trees they grow on.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- This fish has a small parasite on its skin.
- The doctor said a parasite was living in his stomach.
- Some parasites live inside the body, and some live on the skin.
- A parasite needs a host to live and grow.
Ουσιαστικό
informal
B2
entity
2
person living off others unfairly
Someone who lives from other people’s money or help and does not give anything back, in a way people think is wrong or selfish.
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
[someone] is a parasite on [someone/something]
Συχνό λάθος:
Learners sometimes use 'parasite' for any lazy person. In this sense it is usually stronger and more insulting, suggesting someone lives off others over a long time and is seen as morally wrong, not just occasionally lazy.
Συνώνυμα
freeloader (Informal; focuses on someone who always lets others pay or do the work.)
|
sponger (Informal, especially British; suggests someone who regularly borrows or takes money or support.)
|
leech (Strongly negative; emphasizes that the person drains others emotionally or financially.)
Αντώνυμα
contributor (Positive; describes someone who gives effort, money, or help instead of only taking.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
a parasite on society
|social parasite
|financial parasite
|political parasite
|live like a parasite
|treat [someone] like a parasite
Θέματα
social
|insults
|relationships
|finance
|core_vocabulary
Παραδείγματα
- He’s no partner, he’s a parasite who lives off her hard work.
- Many people see corrupt officials as parasites on the state budget.
- She refused to support what she called 'parasites on society' who never try to find work.
- They treated him like a parasite, even though he was trying hard to improve his situation.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- His brother does not work and just takes his money, so he calls him a parasite.
- They think the company’s leaders are parasites on the workers.
- She does not want to be a parasite and always tries to pay her own way.
- Some people say rich tax cheats are parasites on society.
Ουσιαστικό
technical
C1
entity
3
optional but non-core sentence element
In grammar studies, a word or phrase that is not needed for the basic sentence to be correct, but can be added for extra meaning.
Μοτίβο χρήσης:
a parasite in [this / that] sentence
Συχνό λάθος:
Most learners never meet this specialized sense. It should not be used in everyday speech to talk about grammar; common terms like 'extra phrase' or 'adjunct' are usually clearer.
Συνώνυμα
adjunct (Technical grammar term; more common than 'parasite' in modern descriptions for optional sentence elements.)
Αντώνυμα
complement (In grammar, a word or phrase that is required by another word to make the sentence structure complete, the opposite of an optional element.)
Συνδυασμοί λέξεων
linguistic parasite
|parasitic construction
|classify as a parasite
Θέματα
linguistics
|grammar
|education
|communication
Παραδείγματα
- In this analysis, the adverbial is treated as a parasite that does not affect the core argument structure.
- Some older grammar theories use the term 'parasite' for elements that attach to a sentence without being selected by the verb.
- The author classifies certain parenthetical phrases as parasites rather than as true complements.
Παραδείγματα για μαθητές
- The teacher said this extra phrase is a parasite in the sentence.
- In this grammar book, a parasite is a word we can remove without breaking the sentence.
- Linguists sometimes call optional parts of a sentence parasites.
Γραμματική
Λημματική μορφή
parasite
IPA
GB/pˈɛɹəsˌaɪt/
US/pˈɛɹəsˌaɪt/
Συλλαβές και τόνος
para - site (2 συλλαβές)
Stress on 1st syllable (para)
Τύποι λέξης
Noun
- Base: parasite
- Plural: parasites
Οικογένεια λέξεων
Forms
parasites
noun
Core family
parasitic
adjective C1
Related words
parasitism
noun
parasitize
verb
Advanced or less common
parasitically
adverb
parasitology
noun
parasitologist
noun
Εκφράσεις
a parasite on society
1/ə pˈɛɹəsˌaɪt ˈɔn səsˈaɪəti/
idiom
person living off society unfairly
A person or group that takes money or help from society and does not give anything good back.
Παραδείγματα
- They called the corrupt business owners a parasite on society.
- Many people see large companies that avoid taxes as a parasite on society.
external parasite
1/ɪkstˈɚnəl pˈɛɹəsˌaɪt/
fixed phrase
technical
parasite living on the surface
A parasite that lives on the outside of the body, like on the skin or hair.
Παραδείγματα
- Fleas and ticks are common external parasites of dogs and cats.
- The textbook explains the difference between internal and external parasites.
intestinal parasite
1/ɪntˈɛstɪnəl pˈɛɹəsˌaɪt/
fixed phrase
technical
parasite living in the intestine
A small animal or germ that lives inside the stomach or intestines of a person or animal and takes food from them.
Παραδείγματα
- The doctor tested the patient for an intestinal parasite after he reported stomach pain.
- Poor sanitation in the area led to a high rate of intestinal parasites among children.
social parasite
1/sˈoʊʃəl pˈɛɹəsˌaɪt/
fixed phrase
person exploiting others socially
Someone who uses other people or the social system to live, and does not give anything back.
Παραδείγματα
- He was labeled a social parasite because he refused to work and lived off his relatives.
- In the movie, the main character is a clever social parasite who always finds someone to pay his bills.