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medicinal leech
noun
- a bloodsucking leech, Hirudo medicinalis, of Europe, introduced into the northeastern United States, usually green with brown stripes, up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) long: once used by physicians to bleed patients.
medicinal leech
noun
- a large European freshwater leech, Hirudo medicinalis, formerly used in medical bloodletting
Word History and Origins
Origin of medicinal leech1
Example Sentences
The medicinal leech - once used across Europe for bloodletting treatments - has been found in three ponds near Carrick Shore on the Solway Coast.
It’s the first time since 1975 a new medicinal leech species has been found in North America.
The leeches were identified as Hirudo verbana, one of only two species of medicinal leech that come under regulations aimed at controlling wildlife trade.
In Russia, a medicinal leech costs less than $1, and a typical application requires three to seven of the ravenous little creatures.
The medicinal leech, was, however, once pretty common in the lakes and pools of the north of England.
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