parasitoid

American  

[par-uh-si-toid, -sahy-] / ˈpær ə sɪˌtɔɪd, -saɪ- /

noun

1. an organism that practices parasitoidism.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a parasite, especially one practicing parasitoidism.

parasitoid British  

/ ˈpærəsɪˌtɔːd /

noun

1. zoology an animal, esp an insect, that is parasitic during the larval stage of its life cycle but becomes free-living when adult

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parasitoid Scientific  

/ păr′ə-sĭ-toid′,-sī′toid /

1. Any of various insects, such as the ichneumon fly, whose larvae are parasites that eventually kill their hosts. The adult parasitoid deposits an egg on or inside the body of its host, typically the larva of another arthropod. When the egg hatches, the parasitoid larva feeds on the host's tissues, gradually killing it.

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Etymology

Origin of parasitoid

1920–25; < New Latin Parasitoïdea (1913); parasite, -oid

Compare meaning

How does parasitoid compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• parasite vs. parasitoid

Example Sentences

While we are more familiar with hunting wasps like yellowjackets, with their dramatic black and yellow stripes and painful stings, parasitoid wasps make up the vast majority of wasp species.

From Science Daily • Sep. 19, 2023

So is a less celebrated group of insects, parasitoid wasps, which lay their eggs inside other insects and spiders.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 2, 2022

Egg- laying females of two species of parasitoid wasps were studied in special growth chambers in which a food source was either provided or omitted.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

In each ecosystem, the plant served as food for two species of aphids, which in turn fed a parasitoid wasp.

From Scientific American • Mar. 31, 2022

In Dr. Zhang’s opinion, entomologists often focus on bees and ants — the flashiest insects in the order Hymenoptera — while neglecting tiny parasitoid wasps.

From New York Times • Feb. 17, 2022