好词典

parasitism

UK //ˈpærəsaɪtɪzəm//US //ˈpærəsaɪtɪzəm//

词源

源自希腊语 'parasitos'(意为‘同桌吃饭的人’,后引申为‘食客’),通过法语 'parasitisme' 进入英语,-ism 后缀表示状态或行为。

noun

❶ 寄生现象,指一种生物(寄生虫)长期或短期依附在另一种生物(宿主)身上,从中获取营养或生存资源,通常对宿主有害。

“The relationship between a tick and a dog is a classic example of parasitism.”

(蜱虫和狗之间的关系是典型的寄生现象。)

“Malaria is caused by a type of parasitism where the Plasmodium parasite infects human red blood cells.”

(疟疾是由一种疟原虫寄生在人类红细胞内引起的疾病。)

❶ 比喻社会或人际关系中一方长期依赖另一方却不给予回报的行为,带有贬义。

“His laziness and constant borrowing of money showed a clear case of social parasitism.”

(他的懒惰和不断借钱行为明显属于社会性寄生。)

“The novel criticizes the parasitism of the aristocracy who lived off the labor of peasants.”

(这部小说批判了依靠农民劳动生活的贵族寄生现象。)

同义词:exploitation, dependency, leeching

常见短语

obligate parasitism — 专性寄生,指寄生虫必须依赖宿主才能完成其生命周期的寄生方式。

“Tapeworms show obligate parasitism as they cannot survive without a host.”

(绦虫表现出专性寄生,因为它们离开宿主就无法生存。)

social parasitism — 社会寄生,描述人类社会中某些个体或群体长期依赖他人资源却不贡献的现象。

“The welfare system sometimes unintentionally encourages social parasitism.”

(福利制度有时无意中助长了社会寄生现象。)