Definition of leech

leechnoun

đỉa

/liːtʃ//liːtʃ/

The word "leech" has its origins in Old English, where it was spelled "hlǣce." The word was used to refer to any creature that could suck blood or other bodily fluids, not just the parasitic worms we associate with the word today. In fact, the Old English meaning of "leech" was so broad that it could be used to refer to things like insects, ticks, and even sea slugs. Over time, the meaning of the word evolved to refer more specifically to the parasitic worms that live in water and suck the blood of animals and humans. The term "leech" comes from the Old English word "hlǣce," which itself may have been derived from an Old Norse word that also meant "lyon" or "leopard." The exact origins of the word are unclear, but it's possible that the similarity in sound between the Old English words for "leech" and "lyon" or "leopard" reflects the fact that these animals were once thought to be able to heal wounds by licking them, a belief that may have contributed to the association between bloodsucking and healing in the meaning of the word "leech."

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a small worm that usually lives in water and that attaches itself to other creatures and drinks their blood. Leeches were used in the past by doctors to remove blood from sick people.

một con sâu nhỏ thường sống trong nước và bám vào các sinh vật khác và uống máu của chúng. Đỉa trước đây được các bác sĩ sử dụng để hút máu người bệnh.

a person who depends on somebody else for money, or takes the profit from somebody else’s work

một người phụ thuộc vào người khác để kiếm tiền hoặc kiếm lợi nhuận từ công việc của người khác