leech

Noun

1. An aquatic blood-sucking annelid of subclass Hirudinea, especially Hirudo medicinalis.
2. (figuratively) A person who derives advantage from others in a parasitic fashion.
3. (dated) A glass tube designed for drawing blood from damaged tissue by means of a vacuum.

Verb

1. (literally, transitive) To apply a leech medicinally, so that it sucks blood from the patient.
2. (figuratively, transitive) To drain (resources) without giving back.

Verb

To treat, cure or heal.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/liːt͡ʃ/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: leche

Inherited from Old English: lǣċe

Cognate with Middle Dutch: lake

Cognate with Dutch: laak

Cognate with Old Irish: líaig

Cognate with Serbo-Croatian: ljèkār

Cognate with Polish: lekarz

Cognate with Old Frisian: lētza

Cognate with Old Saxon: lāki

Cognate with Old High German: lāhhi

Cognate with Danish: læge

Cognate with Gothic: 𐌻𐌴𐌺𐌴𐌹𐍃

Inherited from Middle English: lechen

Cognate with Swedish: läka

Inherited from Middle English: lek

Cognate with Western Frisian: lyk

Cognate with Dutch: lijk

Cognate with Middle High German: geleich

Cognate with Latin: ligō

Cognate with Ukrainian: нали́гати

Cognate with Albanian: lidh

In summary

From Middle English leche (“blood-sucking worm”), from Old English lǣċe (“blood-sucking worm”), akin to Middle Dutch lāke ("blood-sucking worm"; > modern Dutch laak).

Synonyms

bloodsucker

parasite

bleed

🩸

sponge

🧽

sponger

worm

🪱

hirudinean

phlebotomise

phlebotomize

insect

slug

hirudo

surgeon

sycophant

toady

venesect

feed upon

Hirudinaria manillensis

cling

flea

freeload

hanger-on

blood-sucker

physician

Translations

sangsue

sanguijuela

sanguisuga

Blutegel

bloedzuiger

βδέλλα

sanguessuga

pijawka

sangonera

Egel

hirudo

mignatta

parasita

Blutsauger

lijk