ec·to·par·a·site

[ek-toh-par-uh-sahyt]
noun
an external parasite ( opposed to endoparasite ).

Origin:
1860–65; ecto- + parasite

ec·to·par·a·sit·ic [ek-toh-par-uh-sit-ik] , adjective
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
ectoparasite (ˌɛktəʊˈpærəˌsaɪt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
Also called: exoparasite a parasite, such as the flea, that lives on the outer surface of its host
 
ectoparasitic
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Ectoparasite is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

ectoparasite ec·to·par·a·site (ěk'tə-pār'ə-sīt')
n.
A parasite that lives on the surface or exterior of the host organism, such as an ectophyte or an ectozoon.


ec'to·par'a·sit'ic (-sĭt'ĭk) adj.
ec'to·par'a·sit·ism (-sĭ-tĭz'əm, -sī-) n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
ectoparasite   (ěk'tə-pār'ə-sīt')  Pronunciation Key 
See under parasite.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Example sentences
The vector is thought to be an ectoparasite of flying squirrels, probably a louse or flea.
The mosquito, if it sucks the blood of an organism would by this definition be considered an ectoparasite.
Human fine body hair enhances ectoparasite detection.
Ectoparasite infestations are to be treated by health care staff on an individual basis promptly and thoroughly.
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