Transcription
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
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- [leech]
- /litʃ/
-
- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [leech]
- /litʃ/
Definitions of leeching word
- noun leeching any bloodsucking or carnivorous aquatic or terrestrial worm of the class Hirudinea, certain freshwater species of which were formerly much used in medicine for bloodletting. 1
- noun leeching a person who clings to another for personal gain, especially without giving anything in return, and usually with the implication or effect of exhausting the other's resources; parasite. 1
- noun leeching Archaic. an instrument used for drawing blood. 1
- verb with object leeching to apply leeches to, so as to bleed. 1
- verb with object leeching to cling to and feed upon or drain, as a leech: His relatives leeched him until his entire fortune was exhausted. 1
- verb with object leeching Archaic. to cure; heal. 1
Information block about the term
Origin of leeching
First appearance:
before 900 One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English leche, Old English lǣce; replacing (by confusion with leech2) Middle English liche, Old English lȳce; cognate with Middle Dutch lieke; akin to Old English lūcan to pull out, Middle High German liechen to pull
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Leeching
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
leeching popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 90% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.
leeching usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for leeching
adj leeching
- bumming — a person who avoids work and sponges on others; loafer; idler.
- sponging — any aquatic, chiefly marine animal of the phylum Porifera, having a porous structure and usually a horny, siliceous or calcareous internal skeleton or framework, occurring in large, sessile colonies.
- bloodsucking — any animal that sucks blood, especially a leech.
- parasitical — of, relating to, or characteristic of parasites.
verb leeching
- trickle — to flow or fall by drops, or in a small, gentle stream: Tears trickled down her cheeks.
- weep — to express grief, sorrow, or any overpowering emotion by shedding tears; shed tears; cry: to weep for joy; to weep with rage.
- ooze — (of moisture, liquid, etc.) to flow, percolate, or exude slowly, as through holes or small openings.
- drain — to withdraw or draw off (a liquid) gradually; remove slowly or by degrees, as by filtration: to drain oil from a crankcase.
- run — execution
adjective leeching
- parasitic — of, relating to, or characteristic of parasites.
Antonyms for leeching
verb leeching
- increase — to make greater, as in number, size, strength, or quality; augment; add to: to increase taxes.
- give — to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow: to give a birthday present to someone.
- offer — to present for acceptance or rejection; proffer: He offered me a cigarette.
- add — ADD is an abbreviation for attention deficit disorder.
- put in — to move or place (anything) so as to get it into or out of a specific location or position: to put a book on the shelf.
Top questions with leeching
- what is leeching?
- what does leeching mean?
- what is seeding and leeching?
See also
Matching words
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