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Antonyms for parasites


Grammar : Noun
Spell : par-uh-sahyt
Phonetic Transcription : ˈpær əˌsaɪt



Definition of parasites

Origin :
  • 1530s, "a hanger-on, a toady, person who lives on others," from Middle French parasite (16c.) or directly from Latin parasitus "toady, sponger," and directly from Greek parasitos "one who lives at another's expense, person who eats at the table of another," from noun use of an adjective meaning "feeding beside," from para- "beside" (see para- (1)) + sitos "food," of unknown origin. Scientific meaning "animal or plant that lives on others" is first recorded 1640s (implied in parasitical).
  • noun something that exists by taking from or depending on another
Example sentences :
  • The women eliminate the baker, the soap boiler, and a lot of other parasites.
  • Extract from : « In the Midst of Alarms » by Robert Barr
  • Parasites derive their nourishment from living plants and animals.
  • Extract from : « The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise » by M. E. Hard
  • Each man can wear his own parasites, but it's a task for him to stand another man's.
  • Extract from : « The Market-Place » by Harold Frederic
  • You are like Timon of Athens, and I'm like one of his parasites.
  • Extract from : « Hortus Inclusus » by John Ruskin
  • Man, and all other animals on Earth, are parasites of the plant world.
  • Extract from : « Islands of Space » by John W Campbell
  • One of these, hollow and old, had upon its top a crowd of parasites.
  • Extract from : « Round About a Great Estate » by Richard Jefferies
  • An irritation suggests parasites, and parasites suggest an irritation.
  • Extract from : « Folkways » by William Graham Sumner
  • The resources of the duchy were racked to support these parasites.
  • Extract from : « New Italian sketches » by John Addington Symonds
  • It is to kill the parasites on the sheep and cure any diseases of the eyes.
  • Extract from : « The Story of Wool » by Sara Ware Bassett
  • He was puzzled by the case of parasites, especially in putrefying matter.
  • Extract from : « Progress and History » by Various

Synonyms for parasites

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019