parasite (n.)

  1. an animal or plant that lives in or on a host (another animal or plant); it obtains nourishment from the host without benefiting or killing the host

  2. a follower who hangs around a host (without benefit to the host) in hope of gain or advantage

    [ Syn: leech , sponge , sponger ]

The dictionary is based on the WordNet Electronic Lexical Database.
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