parasitism

«parasitism» in Mova's school dictionary: A way of living in which one living thing (the parasite)… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

part of speech

noun (parasitism — uncountable)

meaning for a pupil

(science) A way of living in which one living thing (the parasite) lives on or inside another (the host) and takes food from it, harming it. tree →

sense in the lessons

In science lessons about food chains and relationships: fleas, ticks, tapeworms and mistletoe show parasitism. Compare mutualism (both gain) and commensalism (one gains, the other is not harmed). The cuckoo laying eggs in other birds' nests is called brood parasitism.

examples

• Fleas on a dog are an example of parasitism. tree →
• We learned about parasitism in science. tree →
• The cuckoo's tricks are a kind of parasitism. tree →
• Mistletoe lives by parasitism on trees. tree →
• Parasitism harms the host. tree →
• Ticks live by parasitism and can spread disease. tree →

note

Uncountable. Parasite (the creature), parasitic (adjective), parasitism (the way of life). Say «PA-ra-sigh-tizm».

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «parasitism» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.