parasitize

[ par-uh-si-tahyz, -sahy- ]

verb (used with object)

, par·a·si·tized, par·a·si·tiz·ing.

1. to live on (a host) as a parasite.

parasitize

/ -saɪ-; ˈpærəsɪˌtaɪz /

verb

1. to infest or infect with parasites
2. to live on (another organism) as a parasite

Other Words From

• un·para·si·tized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of parasitize¹

First recorded in 1885–90; parasite + -ize

Example Sentences

To understand orca parasites, she had been trying to study organisms that parasitize salmon, a favorite orca prey that might pass the parasites along to the whales.

From Science Magazine

It is thought that wasps that parasitize other insects, such as the Darwin wasp, could be more diverse than beetles.

From Science Daily

Prior research into the group has suggested that they parasitize the eggs of stick insects, also known as walking sticks.

From Science Daily

Some kinds benefit the soil, but others parasitize crops, inflicting more than $100 billion in losses worldwide each year.

From Science Magazine

Moreover, the West "is ready to step over everything in order to preserve the neo-colonial system that allows it to parasitize, in fact, to plunder the world."

From Salon