Main Entry:

¹tick

Pronunciation:

\ˈtik\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English tyke, teke; akin to Middle High German zeche tick, Armenian tiz

Date:

14th century

1 : any of a superfamily (Ixodoidea) of bloodsucking acarid arachnids that are larger than the related mites, attach themselves to warm-blooded vertebrates to feed, and include important vectors of infectious diseases 2 : any of various usually wingless parasitic dipteran flies — compare sheep ked

[tick illustration]