parasitoid
noun
par·a·sit·oid
ˈper-ə-sə-ˌtȯid 
-ˌsī-,
ˈpa-rə-
: an insect and especially a wasp that completes its larval development within the body of another insect eventually killing it and is free-living as an adult
parasitoid
adjective
Examples of parasitoid in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The system is further complicated by other players, including ladybug beetles, white halo fungus and a parasitoid fly that limits ant numbers.
—
Lesley Evans Ogden, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2024
Ants consume a lot of their honeydew and, in exchange, protect Hemiptera from enemies like parasitoids or predators.
—Lesley Evans Ogden, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2024
Conserve biological control agents such as predators and the parasitoids that feed on insect pests.
—oregonlive, 1 Apr. 2022
Whereas uninfected larvae succumbed to the parasites, the infected larvae—and their plasma—killed almost every parasite, aside from the basket-cocoon parasitoid M. pulchricornis.
—Mennatalla Ibrahim, Science | AAAS, 29 July 2021
The larvae of polyembryonic parasitoid wasps, which hatch from eggs that are laid on top of caterpillar eggs, occasionally develop into adults that are not just infertile but have a habit of eating other larvae.
—Tim Brinkhof, Discover Magazine, 9 Mar. 2021
Recently the researchers used bar coding to take a closer look at 16 species of parasitoid flies known to scientists for more than a century.
—Richard Conniff, Discover Magazine, 18 Nov. 2010
Sensory arsenal on the stinger of the parasitoid jewel wasp and its possible role in identifying cockroach brains.
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2014
Like many parasitoid species, the emerald jewel wasp is a specialist with only one option for a host—in this case, the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana.
—Kenneth C. Catania, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2021
Lesley Evans Ogden, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2024
Ants consume a lot of their honeydew and, in exchange, protect Hemiptera from enemies like parasitoids or predators.
—Lesley Evans Ogden, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Jan. 2024
Conserve biological control agents such as predators and the parasitoids that feed on insect pests.
—oregonlive, 1 Apr. 2022
Whereas uninfected larvae succumbed to the parasites, the infected larvae—and their plasma—killed almost every parasite, aside from the basket-cocoon parasitoid M. pulchricornis.
—Mennatalla Ibrahim, Science | AAAS, 29 July 2021
The larvae of polyembryonic parasitoid wasps, which hatch from eggs that are laid on top of caterpillar eggs, occasionally develop into adults that are not just infertile but have a habit of eating other larvae.
—Tim Brinkhof, Discover Magazine, 9 Mar. 2021
Recently the researchers used bar coding to take a closer look at 16 species of parasitoid flies known to scientists for more than a century.
—Richard Conniff, Discover Magazine, 18 Nov. 2010
Sensory arsenal on the stinger of the parasitoid jewel wasp and its possible role in identifying cockroach brains.
—Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2014
Like many parasitoid species, the emerald jewel wasp is a specialist with only one option for a host—in this case, the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana.
—Kenneth C. Catania, Scientific American, 1 Feb. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'parasitoid.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near parasitoid
Cite this Entry
“Parasitoid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parasitoid. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
parasitoid
1 of 2 adjective
par·a·sit·oid
ˈpar-ə-sə-ˌtȯid
-ˌsīt-ˌȯid
-ˌsīt-ˌȯid
1
: resembling a parasite
2
: being a parasitoid
parasitoid
2 of 2 noun
: an insect and especially a wasp that completes its larval development within the body of another insect which it eventually kills and that is free-living as an adult
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