ectoparasite
Syllables: ec·to·par·a·siteUK/ˌɛktə(ʊ)ˈpæɹəˌsaɪt/US/ˌɛktəˈpɛɹəˌsaɪt/
ectoparasite noun: a parasite that lives on the surface of a host organism; such as the Demodex mite, which lives in human hair and eyelashes.
Noun
ectoparasite (plural ectoparasites)
- A parasite that lives on the surface of a host organism; such as the Demodex mite, which lives in human hair and eyelashes.
- Ordinarily, allergy to animals is due to either their fine dander which becomes aerosolized or to the exoskeleta, pupae, or feces of their ectoparasites.1982, R. V. Lynch, Jr.; R. Burrell, “Primate Dander Allergy of Lesser Bushbaby (Galago): A Case Report”, in D[uane] E. Haines, editor, The Lesser Bushbaby (Galago) as an Animal Model: Selected...
- Many of the chewing lice are highly host specific, but a few may occur on a variety of not more than a half dozen related host species. They feed on skin (epidermal cells), hair, feathers, body oils and secretions, dried blood (wounds), and even other ectoparasites, such as mites. Chewing lice are...1996, Gary A. Dunn, Insects of the Great Lakes Region, page 105
- Antonyms:
- endoparasite
ectoparasite meaning in Tamil and Telugu
ectoparasite in Tamil
- parasite living on the surface of host organism
- புற ஒட்டுண்ணி puṟa oṭṭuṇṇi
ectoparasite in Telugu
- ectoparasite
- బాహ్యపరాన్నజీవి bāhyaparānnajīvi
Examples of ectoparasite in a sentence
- They feed on skin (epidermal cells), hair, feathers, body oils and secretions, dried blood (wounds), and even other ectoparasites, such as mites.1996, Gary A. Dunn, Insects of the Great Lakes Region, page 105:
- You don't need to burrow inside the host: Ectoparasites like you just need to live on the skin.2023, translated in 2025, Berta Páramo and translated by Marc Correa Haro, Lice: How to Survive on Humans, page 47:
Antonyms of ectoparasite
Forms of ectoparasite
| plural | ectoparasites |
|---|
Origin of ectoparasite
From ecto- (from Ancient Greek ἐκτός (ektós, “outside”)) + parasite.
Words formed from ectoparasite
Questions about ectoparasite
- What does ectoparasite mean?
- Ectoparasite means a parasite that lives on the surface of a host organism; such as the Demodex mite, which lives in human hair and eyelashes.
- What is ectoparasite in Tamil?
- Ectoparasite in Tamil is புற ஒட்டுண்ணி (puṟa oṭṭuṇṇi). See Ectoparasite meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use ectoparasite in a sentence?
- They feed on skin (epidermal cells), hair, feathers, body oils and secretions, dried blood (wounds), and even other ectoparasites, such as mites.
- What part of speech is ectoparasite?
- Ectoparasite is a noun.
- How do you pronounce ectoparasite?
- Ectoparasite is pronounced /ˌɛktə(ʊ)ˈpæɹəˌsaɪt/ (UK).
- What is the plural of ectoparasite?
- The plural of ectoparasite is ectoparasites.
Words near ectoparasite in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: ectoparasite (page history and authors); బాహ్యపరాన్నజీవి (Telugu) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “ectoparasite.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/ectoparasite. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.