ECTOPARASITE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does ectoparasite mean? 

• ECTOPARASITE (noun)
  The noun ECTOPARASITE has 1 sense:

1. any external parasitic organism (as fleas)

  Familiarity information: ECTOPARASITE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ECTOPARASITE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any external parasitic organism (as fleas)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

ectoparasite; ectozoan; ectozoon; epizoan; epizoon

Hypernyms ("ectoparasite" is a kind of...):

parasite (an animal or plant that lives in or on a host (another animal or plant); it obtains nourishment from the host without benefiting or killing the host)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ectoparasite"):

flea (any wingless bloodsucking parasitic insect noted for ability to leap)

 Context examples 

A taxonomic order of wingless insects that are obligate ectoparasites of birds and mammals.

(Lice, NCI Thesaurus)

Scientists from the University of Bristol and UC Davis say zebras may have gotten their stripes to confuse ectoparasites, such as flies.

(Zebra stripes may 'dazzle' pathogen-packing horse flies, Wikinews)