of plants or persons; having the nature or habits of a parasite or leech; living off another
<adj.all> a wealthy class parasitic upon the labor of the masses parasitic vines that strangle the trees bloodsucking blackmailer his indolent leechlike existence
Parasitic \Par`a*sit"ic\ (p[a^]r`[.a]*s[i^]t"[i^]k), Parasitical \Par`a*sit"ic*al\ (p[a^]r`[.a]*s[i^]t"[i^]*kal), a. [L. parasiticus, Gr. ?: cf. F. parasitique.] 1. Of the nature of a parasite; having the habits of a parasite; fawning for food or favors; sycophantic. ``Parasitic preachers.'' --Milton.
Syn: leechlike, bloodsucking.
2. (Bot. & Zo["o]l.) Of or pertaining to parasites; living on, or deriving nourishment from, some other living animal or plant. See {Parasite}, 2 & 3.
{Parasitic gull}, {Parasitic jager}. (Zo["o]l.) See {Jager}. ※ -- {Par`a*sit"ic*al*ly}, adv. -- {Par`a*sit"ic*al*ness}, n.
A parasitic worm that causes millions of dollars' damage to livestock in the Americas has been found in North Africa and threatens that entire continent, the Middle East and southern Europe, a U.N. agency said Wednesday.
WASHINGTON (AP) - An experimental oral vaccine to control coccidiosis, a parasitic disease of chickens, is being tested by the Agriculture Department.
In March 1983 the USDA proposed rules intended to help prevent trichinosis, a disease caused by microscopic parasitic worms, or trichinae, that can occur in improperly cooked pork.
The worm is spread by biting flies that feed on human blood, and is parasitic in or just under the skin, often migrating to around the eyes.
Scientists on Friday released 50 parasitic Israeli wasps, each smaller than a pinhead, hoping the pests would zero in on Southern California's growing ash whitefly population.
The Agriculture Department is imposing a federal quarantine affecting 19 states and other areas to help stop the spread of tiny parasitic mites that threaten the honeybee industry.
Like his colleagues, Dobner spent his time treating parasitic infections, lung ailments and dispensing ointments and pain relievers for countless aching joints and muscles that are the legacy of life in the rugged Sierra Madre.
Typically, the disease is spread when a fly bites a person infected with river blindness and picks up microfilariae, the immature form of the parasitic worm.