deer tick

[ deer tik ]

noun

1. any of various ticks of the genus Ixodes that are parasitic on deer and other mammals and are vectors of Lyme disease and other infectious diseases.

Word History and Origins

Origin of deer tick¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

All the ticks that tested positive for the Powassan virus also were positive for the lineage II deer tick virus.

From Science Daily

Like COVID-19 and other illnesses, Lyme disease can be chronic, meaning some unfortunate souls bitten just once by a deer tick wind up struggling with the ailment for the rest of their lives.

From Salon

Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bite of an infected black-legged tick, commonly known as a deer tick.

From Seattle Times

For decades, the main public health threat from ticks in New York has been Lyme disease, transmitted by the blacklegged tick, often called the “deer tick,” which generally picks up the pathogen from rodents.

From New York Times

For example, deer and rodent habitats are increasingly overlapping with human communities—and all three species are hosts for the blacklegged tick, also aptly named the deer tick.

From Scientific American