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parassita

parasite

noun pah-rahs-SEE-tah Rare
Animals & Nature Insects

Origin: Greek parasitos (one who eats at another's table)

Also means

freeloader

Usage Note

Parassita is one of the tricky nouns ending in -a that is masculine: il parassita, plural i parassiti. It applies both to biological parasites and to people who live at others' expense. The feminine la parassita exists but is less common. Do not be misled by the -a ending into using a feminine article.

Examples

"Alcuni insetti sono parassiti delle piante."

Natural Translation

Some insects are parasites of plants.

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