parasites

par-a-sites · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    Organisms that live on or in a host organism, obtaining nourishment at the host's expense.

  2. 2.

    (Figurative) People who habitually rely on or exploit others without giving anything in return.

Related words

Antonyms: hosts
See also: host, infection, symbiosis
Synonyms: freeloaders, leeches

Etymology

From Greek parasitos meaning "one who eats at another's table," from para- (beside) and sitos (food).