leech
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Related to leeches: Medicinal leeches
leech
bloodsucking worm; extortioner; sponger
Not to be confused with:
leach – to dissolve out substances; to percolate
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
leech 1
(lēch)n.
1. Any of various chiefly aquatic carnivorous or bloodsucking annelid worms of the class (or subclass) Hirudinea, of which one species (Hirudo medicinalis) was formerly widely used by physicians for therapeutic bloodletting.
2. One that preys on or clings to another; a parasite.
3. Archaic A physician.
v. leeched, leech·ing, leech·es
v.tr.
1. To bleed with leeches.
2. To drain the essence or exhaust the resources of.
v.intr.
To attach oneself to another in the manner of a leech.
leech 2
(lēch)n. Nautical
1. Either vertical edge of a square sail.
2. The after edge of a fore-and-aft sail.
[Middle English leche, probably from Middle Low German līk, leech line; see leig- in Indo-European roots.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
leech
(liːtʃ)n
1. (Animals) any annelid worm of the class Hirudinea, which have a sucker at each end of the body and feed on the blood or tissues of other animals. See also horseleech, medicinal leech
2. a person who clings to or preys on another person
3. (Medicine)
a. an archaic word for physician
b. (in combination): leechcraft.
4. cling like a leech to cling or adhere persistently to something
vb
(Medicine) (tr) to use leeches to suck the blood of (a person), as a method of medical treatment
[Old English lǣce, lœce; related to Middle Dutch lieke]
ˈleechˌlike adj
leech
(liːtʃ) orleach
n
(Nautical Terms) nautical the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail or either of the vertical edges of a squaresail
[C15: of Germanic origin; compare Dutch lijk]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
leech1
(litʃ)n.
1. any bloodsucking annelid worm of the class Hirudinea, as the European Hirudo medicinalis, once used widely for bloodletting.
2. a person who clings to another for personal gain, esp. without giving anything in return; parasite.
3. Archaic. an instrument used for drawing blood.
v.t. 4. to apply leeches to, so as to bleed.
5. to cling to and feed upon or drain, as a leech does; exhaust; deplete.
6. Archaic. to cure; heal.
v.i. 7. to hang on to a person in the manner of a leech.
[before 900; Middle English leche, Old English lǣce; replacing (by association with leech 2) Middle English liche, Old English lȳce, c. Middle Dutch lieke]
leech2
(litʃ)n. Archaic.
a physician.
[before 1150; Middle English leche, Old English lǣce; c. Old Saxon lāki, Old High German lāhhi, Gothic lēkeis; akin to Old Norse lǣknir]
leech3
(litʃ)n.
1. either of the lateral edges of a square sail.
2. the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail.
[1350–1400; leche, Middle English lich(e)]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
leech
(lēch) Any of various worms that live in water and suck blood from other animals, including humans. One species, the medicinal leech, has been used in bloodletting and in helping to heal wounds and surgical grafts. Leeches are annelids, related to earthworms.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
leech
Past participle: leeched
Gerund: leeching
| Imperative |
|---|
| leech |
| leech |
| Present |
|---|
| I leech |
| you leech |
| he/she/it leeches |
| we leech |
| you leech |
| they leech |
| Preterite |
|---|
| I leeched |
| you leeched |
| he/she/it leeched |
| we leeched |
| you leeched |
| they leeched |
| Present Continuous |
|---|
| I am leeching |
| you are leeching |
| he/she/it is leeching |
| we are leeching |
| you are leeching |
| they are leeching |
| Present Perfect |
|---|
| I have leeched |
| you have leeched |
| he/she/it has leeched |
| we have leeched |
| you have leeched |
| they have leeched |
| Past Continuous |
|---|
| I was leeching |
| you were leeching |
| he/she/it was leeching |
| we were leeching |
| you were leeching |
| they were leeching |
| Past Perfect |
|---|
| I had leeched |
| you had leeched |
| he/she/it had leeched |
| we had leeched |
| you had leeched |
| they had leeched |
| Future |
|---|
| I will leech |
| you will leech |
| he/she/it will leech |
| we will leech |
| you will leech |
| they will leech |
| Future Perfect |
|---|
| I will have leeched |
| you will have leeched |
| he/she/it will have leeched |
| we will have leeched |
| you will have leeched |
| they will have leeched |
| Future Continuous |
|---|
| I will be leeching |
| you will be leeching |
| he/she/it will be leeching |
| we will be leeching |
| you will be leeching |
| they will be leeching |
| Present Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I have been leeching |
| you have been leeching |
| he/she/it has been leeching |
| we have been leeching |
| you have been leeching |
| they have been leeching |
| Future Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I will have been leeching |
| you will have been leeching |
| he/she/it will have been leeching |
| we will have been leeching |
| you will have been leeching |
| they will have been leeching |
| Past Perfect Continuous |
|---|
| I had been leeching |
| you had been leeching |
| he/she/it had been leeching |
| we had been leeching |
| you had been leeching |
| they had been leeching |
| Conditional |
|---|
| I would leech |
| you would leech |
| he/she/it would leech |
| we would leech |
| you would leech |
| they would leech |
| Past Conditional |
|---|
| I would have leeched |
| you would have leeched |
| he/she/it would have leeched |
| we would have leeched |
| you would have leeched |
| they would have leeched |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun 1. [画像:leech - carnivorous or bloodsucking aquatic or terrestrial worms typically having a sucker at each end]leech - carnivorous or bloodsucking aquatic or terrestrial worms typically having a sucker at each end
annelid, annelid worm, segmented worm - worms with cylindrical bodies segmented both internally and externally
class Hirudinea, Hirudinea - hermaphroditic aquatic or terrestrial or parasitic annelids
Hirudo medicinalis, medicinal leech - large European freshwater leech formerly used for bloodletting
horseleech - any of several large freshwater leeches
2. leech - a follower who hangs around a host (without benefit to the host) in hope of gain or advantage
follower - a person who accepts the leadership of another
Verb 1. [画像:leech - draw blood]leech - draw blood; "In the old days, doctors routinely bled patients as part of the treatment"
practice of medicine, medicine - the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries; "he studied medicine at Harvard"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
leech
noun parasite, hanger-on, sycophant, freeloader (slang), sponger (informal), ligger (slang), bloodsucker (informal) They're just a bunch of leeches cadging off others!
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
leech
nounOne who depends on another for support without reciprocating:
Slang: freeloader.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
عَلَق
пиявица
pijavice
igle
hirudo
kaan
iilimatojuotikas
pijavica
pióca
igla, blóîsuga
ヒル
hirudo
dėlė
dēle
pijavica
pijavka
igel
đỉa
leech
[liːtʃ] N → sanguijuela f (also fig)to stick to sb like a leech → pegarse a algn como una lapa
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
leech
n → Blutegel m; (fig) → Blutsauger(in) m(f)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
leech
(liːtʃ) noun a kind of blood-sucking worm. bloedsuier عَلَق пиявица sanguessuga pijavice der Blutegel igle βδέλλα sanguijuela kaan زالو juotikas sangsue עלוקה जोंक pijavica pióca lintah igla, blóðsuga sanguisuga ひる 거머리 dėlė dēle pacat bloedzuiger igle pijawka يو ډول چنجى چى خواړه يى وينه ده sanguessuga lipitoare пиявка pijavica pijavka pijavica blodigel ปลิง sülük 水蛭 п'явка خون چوسنے والا کیڑا con đỉa 水蛭
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
leech
n. sanguijuela, gusano anélido acuático chupador de sangre;
artificial ___ → ventosa.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
leech
n sanguijuelaEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.