🇩🇪German Source WordCode: DE

Blutegel

Pronunciation / Transliteration: bluːtˌeːɡl̩

🇬🇧 Direct English Meaning:
Leech/liːtʃ/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #1500 frequency
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🇩🇪 Example Sentence in German:

"Der Arzt setzte einen Blutegel zur Behandlung ein."

Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    An aquatic or terrestrial annelid worm that has a sucker at each end and feeds on the blood of vertebrates.

    "While walking through the marsh, she noticed a leech attached to her ankle."
  2. 2

    A person who extorts profit from or sponges on others.

    "He is nothing more than a social leech who never pays his own way."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The word 'leech' originates from the Old English 'leac', which means 'leech' or 'herb'. It is derived from the Proto-Germanic '*laikō', which is related to the Old Norse 'lík', meaning 'body'. Historically, leeches were used in medicine for bloodletting, leading to the modern term 'leech therapy'.

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