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==Etymology==
Middle French, from [[Latin]] parasitus, from [[Greek]] parasitos, from para- + sitos grain, [[food]]
First attested in [[English]] 1539, the [[word]] parasite comes form the Medieval French parasite, from the [[Latin]] parasitus, the romanization of the [[Greek]] "παράσιτος" (parasitos), "one who eats at the table of another" and that from "παρά" (para), "beside, by" + "σῖτος" (sitos), "food". Coined in [[English]] 1611, the word parasitism comes from the [[Greek]] "παρά" (para) + "σιτισμός" (sitismos) "feeding, fattening".
*Date: [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Century 1539]
==Definitions==
*1 : a [[person]] who [[exploits]] the [[hospitality]] of the rich and earns [[welcome]] by flattery
*2 : an [[organism]] living in, with, or on another [[organism]] in parasitism
*3 : something that resembles a [[biological]] parasite in dependence on something else for [[existence]] or [[support]] without making a useful or adequate return
==Synonyms==
sycophant, toady, leech, sponge mean a usually obsequious flatterer or self-seeker.
==Description==
'''Parasitism''' is a type of symbiotic [[relationship]] between [[organisms]] of [[different]] [[species]] where one [[organism]], the parasite, benefits at the expense of the [[host]].
In general, parasites are much smaller than their [[host]], show a high [[degree]] of specialization for their mode of life, and [[reproduce]] more quickly and in greater [[numbers]] than their hosts. Classic examples of parasitism include interactions between vertebrate hosts and [[diverse]] [[animals]] such as tapeworms, flukes, the Plasmodium [[species]], and fleas. ''Parasitism'' is differentiated from ''parasitoidism'', a [[relationship]] in which the host is always killed by the parasite such as moths, butterflies, ants, flies and others.
The [[harm]] and benefit in parasitic [[interactions]] concern the [[biological]] fitness of the [[organisms]] involved. Parasites reduce host fitness in many ways, ranging from general or specialized pathology (such as castration), impairment of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_sex_characteristic secondary sex characteristics], to the [[modification]] of host [[behaviour]]. Parasites increase their fitness by exploiting hosts for [[food]], habitat and dispersal.
Although the [[concept]] of parasitism applies unambiguously to many cases in [[nature]], it is best considered part of a [[continuum]] of types of [[interactions]] between [[species]], rather than an exclusive category. Particular [[interactions]] between species may satisfy some but not all parts of the definition. In many cases, it is [[difficult]] to [[demonstrate]] that the [[host]] is harmed. In others, there may be no [[apparent]] specialization on the part of the parasite, or the [[interaction]] between the [[organisms]] may be short-lived. In [[medicine]], only [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eukaryote eukaryotic] organisms are considered parasites, with the exclusion of bacteria and [[viruses]]. Some branches of [[biology]], however, regard members of these [[groups]] as parasitic.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasite]
[[Category: Biology]]
==Etymology==
Middle French, from [[Latin]] parasitus, from [[Greek]] parasitos, from para- + sitos grain, [[food]]
First attested in [[English]] 1539, the [[word]] parasite comes form the Medieval French parasite, from the [[Latin]] parasitus, the romanization of the [[Greek]] "παράσιτος" (parasitos), "one who eats at the table of another" and that from "παρά" (para), "beside, by" + "σῖτος" (sitos), "food". Coined in [[English]] 1611, the word parasitism comes from the [[Greek]] "παρά" (para) + "σιτισμός" (sitismos) "feeding, fattening".
*Date: [http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_Century 1539]
==Definitions==
*1 : a [[person]] who [[exploits]] the [[hospitality]] of the rich and earns [[welcome]] by flattery
*2 : an [[organism]] living in, with, or on another [[organism]] in parasitism
*3 : something that resembles a [[biological]] parasite in dependence on something else for [[existence]] or [[support]] without making a useful or adequate return
==Synonyms==
sycophant, toady, leech, sponge mean a usually obsequious flatterer or self-seeker.
==Description==
'''Parasitism''' is a type of symbiotic [[relationship]] between [[organisms]] of [[different]] [[species]] where one [[organism]], the parasite, benefits at the expense of the [[host]].
In general, parasites are much smaller than their [[host]], show a high [[degree]] of specialization for their mode of life, and [[reproduce]] more quickly and in greater [[numbers]] than their hosts. Classic examples of parasitism include interactions between vertebrate hosts and [[diverse]] [[animals]] such as tapeworms, flukes, the Plasmodium [[species]], and fleas. ''Parasitism'' is differentiated from ''parasitoidism'', a [[relationship]] in which the host is always killed by the parasite such as moths, butterflies, ants, flies and others.
The [[harm]] and benefit in parasitic [[interactions]] concern the [[biological]] fitness of the [[organisms]] involved. Parasites reduce host fitness in many ways, ranging from general or specialized pathology (such as castration), impairment of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secondary_sex_characteristic secondary sex characteristics], to the [[modification]] of host [[behaviour]]. Parasites increase their fitness by exploiting hosts for [[food]], habitat and dispersal.
Although the [[concept]] of parasitism applies unambiguously to many cases in [[nature]], it is best considered part of a [[continuum]] of types of [[interactions]] between [[species]], rather than an exclusive category. Particular [[interactions]] between species may satisfy some but not all parts of the definition. In many cases, it is [[difficult]] to [[demonstrate]] that the [[host]] is harmed. In others, there may be no [[apparent]] specialization on the part of the parasite, or the [[interaction]] between the [[organisms]] may be short-lived. In [[medicine]], only [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eukaryote eukaryotic] organisms are considered parasites, with the exclusion of bacteria and [[viruses]]. Some branches of [[biology]], however, regard members of these [[groups]] as parasitic.[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasite]
[[Category: Biology]]
