black-legged tick

noun

ˈblak-ˈlegd- 

-ˈlāgd-;

-ˈle-gəd-, 

-ˈlā-

: either of two ixodid ticks:

a

: deer tick

b

: a tick (Ixodes pacificus) of the western U.S. and British Columbia that is the vector of several diseases (such as Lyme disease)

Examples of black-legged tick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Other ticks commonly found in North Carolina include the black-legged tick and American dog tick. —Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026

Adult black-legged tick activity is high and increasing in Wisconsin, the state's most recent tick surveillance report shows. —Madeline Heim, jsonline.com, 24 Apr. 2026

Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria carried by Ixodes scapularis, the black-legged tick, or deer tick. —Tara Haelle, Scientific American, 9 Apr. 2026

Stewart was a lead scientist on research published last year identifying a black-legged tick, or deer tick, in Montana. —Rachana Pradhan, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for black-legged tick

• andesitic
• anthelmintic
• dizygotic
• impolitic
• lymphocytic
• martensitic
• phagocytic
• pharisaic
• realpolitik
• rhyolitic
• visigothic
• actinic

Medical Definition

black-legged tick

noun

ˈblak-ˈlegd-, -ˈlāgd-; -ˈleg-əd-, -ˈlā-gəd- 

: either of two ixodid ticks:

a

: deer tick

b

: western black-legged tick