Meaning of "leech" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD LEECH

Old English lǣce, lœce; related to Middle Dutch lieke.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF LEECH

leech  [liːtʃ]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF LEECH

Leech is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb leech in English.

WHAT DOES LEECH MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Leech

Leeches are segmented worms that belong to the phylum Annelida and comprise the subclass Hirudinea. Like other oligochaetes, such as earthworms, leeches share a clitellum and are hermaphrodites. Nevertheless, they differ from other oligochaetes in significant ways. For example, leeches do not have bristles and the external segmentation of their bodies does not correspond with the internal segmentation of their organs. Their bodies are much more solid as the spaces in their coelom are dense with connective tissues. They also have two suckers, one at each end. The majority of leeches live in freshwater environments, while some species can be found in terrestrial and marine environments, as well. Most leeches are hematophagous, as they are predominantly blood suckers that feed on blood from vertebrate and invertebrate animals. Almost 700 species of leeches are currently recognized, of which some 100 are marine, 90 terrestrial and the remainder freshwater taxa. Leeches, such as the Hirudo medicinalis, have been historically used in medicine to remove blood from patients.

Definition of leech in the English dictionary

The definition of leech in the dictionary is a person who clings to or preys on another person. Other definition of leech is to use leeches to suck the blood of, as a method of medical treatment.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO LEECH

PRESENT

Present

I leech

you leech

he/she/it leeches

we leech

you leech

they leech

Present continuous

I am leeching

you are leeching

he/she/it is leeching

we are leeching

you are leeching

they are leeching

Present perfect

I have leeched

you have leeched

he/she/it has leeched

we have leeched

you have leeched

they have leeched

Present perfect continuous

I have been leeching

you have been leeching

he/she/it has been leeching

we have been leeching

you have been leeching

they have been leeching

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I leeched

you leeched

he/she/it leeched

we leeched

you leeched

they leeched

Past continuous

I was leeching

you were leeching

he/she/it was leeching

we were leeching

you were leeching

they were leeching

Past perfect

I had leeched

you had leeched

he/she/it had leeched

we had leeched

you had leeched

they had leeched

Past perfect continuous

I had been leeching

you had been leeching

he/she/it had been leeching

we had been leeching

you had been leeching

they had been leeching

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will leech

you will leech

he/she/it will leech

we will leech

you will leech

they will leech

Future continuous

I will be leeching

you will be leeching

he/she/it will be leeching

we will be leeching

you will be leeching

they will be leeching

Future perfect

I will have leeched

you will have leeched

he/she/it will have leeched

we will have leeched

you will have leeched

they will have leeched

Future perfect continuous

I will have been leeching

you will have been leeching

he/she/it will have been leeching

we will have been leeching

you will have been leeching

they will have been leeching

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would leech

you would leech

he/she/it would leech

we would leech

you would leech

they would leech

Conditional continuous

I would be leeching

you would be leeching

he/she/it would be leeching

we would be leeching

you would be leeching

they would be leeching

Conditional perfect

I would have leech

you would have leech

he/she/it would have leech

we would have leech

you would have leech

they would have leech

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been leeching

you would have been leeching

he/she/it would have been leeching

we would have been leeching

you would have been leeching

they would have been leeching

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you leech
we let´s leech
you leech

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to leech

Past participle

leeched

Present Participle

leeching

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «LEECH»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «leech» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of leech

bloodsucker · freeloader · hanger-on · ligger · parasite · quandong · sponger · sycophant

TRANSLATION OF LEECH

Find out the translation of leech to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of leech from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «leech» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 水蛭
• Translator English - Spanish: sanguijuela
• English: leech
• Translator English - Hindi: जोंक
• Translator English - Arabic: علقة
• Translator English - Russian: пиявка
• Translator English - Portuguese: sanguessuga
• Translator English - Bengali: জোঁক
• Translator English - French: sangsue
• Translator English - Malay: Lintah
• Translator English - German: Blutegel
• Translator English - Japanese: ヒル
• Translator English - Korean: 거머리
• Translator English - Javanese: Lintah
• Translator English - Vietnamese: con đia
• Translator English - Tamil: அட்டை
• Translator English - Marathi: जळू
• Translator English - Turkish: sülük
• Translator English - Italian: sanguisuga
• Translator English - Polish: pijawka
• Translator English - Ukrainian: п´явка
• Translator English - Romanian: lipitoare
• Translator English - Greek: βδέλλα
• Translator English - Afrikaans: Leech
• Translator English - Swedish: igel
• Translator English - Norwegian: igle

3 QUOTES WITH «LEECH»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word leech.

1

Chris Brown

With fame, you can't trust everybody. You can't depend on them being there for you as a person. They will only be there because of what you've got you as a person. They will only be there because of what you've got and what you can bring to their life. It's not a relationship-it's a leech.

2

Boris Johnson

It is possible to have a pretty good life and career being a leech and a parasite in the media world, gadding about from TV studio to TV studio, writing inconsequential pieces and having a good time.

3

Michael Shannon

Honestly, as hard a profession as acting is, I think music is even harder. Acting, you're like a leech, because someone else does the hard part for you. They write it for you, then the director tells you what to do. You really just need to know how to pay attention, follow instructions.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «LEECH»

Discover the use of leech in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to leech and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Medicinal Leech Therapy

This valuable guide for physicians to this important therapy comes from the acknowledged experts in the field.

Andreas Michalsen, Manfred Roth, 2011

Leech

Yet that is exactly the role this worm-like parasite has played in both Western and Eastern medicine throughout history. In this book, Robert G. W. Kirk and Neil Pemberton explore how the leech surfaces in radically different spheres.

Robert G. W. Kirk, Neil Pemberton, 2013

How to Observe Children

This book shows students how to make the links between observations and child development theory, helping them to achieve higher grades in their childcare awards.

Sheila Riddall-Leech, 2005

Managing Children's Behaviour

Covers both the theory and practice of behaviour management from birth to adolescence.

Sheila Riddall-Leech, 2003

Explorations in Semantics and Pragmatics

The aim of this book is to show the way forward to a coherent view of language in which the achievement of the formalist paradigm is strengthened to the extent that its claims are weakened.

Geoffrey N. Leech, 1980

A Communicative Grammar of English

A Communicative Grammar of English was first published in 1975 and since then the book has established itself as a grammar innovative in approach, reliable in coverage, and clear in its explanations.

Geoffrey Leech, Jan Svartvik, 2013

A glossary of English grammar

Presents a range of terms used to describe the way the English language is structured. This is an alphabetic guide to common terms used in the description of the English language.

Geoffrey N. Leech, 2006

Red Leech: Young Sherlock Holmes 2

The Death Cloud is the first in a series of novels in which the iconic detective is reimagined as a brilliant, troubled and engaging teenager – creating unputdownable detective adventures that remain true to the spirit of the original ...

Andrew Lane, 2011

Principles of pragmatics

This book presents a rhetorical model of pragmatics: that is, a model which studies linguistic communication in terms of communicative goals and principles of 'good communicative behaviour'.

Geoffrey N. Leech, 1983

Change in Contemporary English: A Grammatical Study

Based on the systematic analysis of large amounts of computer-readable text, this 2009 book shows how the English language has been changing in the recent past, and discusses the linguistic and social factors that are contributing to this ...

Geoffrey Leech, 2009

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «LEECH»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term leech is used in the context of the following news items.

One man's monument honors all: Winnie Dam family completes …

WINNIE DAM -- Beneath a modest grave nestled in the Chippewa National Forest on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation lies a man forever to ... «Bemidji Pioneer, Jul 15»

Petty crime keeps patrol on their toes - New Zealand Herald

Bethlehem Community Patrol fundraiser and spokesman Colin Leech and patrol chairman Dave Eru are seeking more members. Photo / John ... «New Zealand Herald, Jul 15»

Leech fly works for summer trout

Leech! The one word guaranteed to clear out the local swimming hole and strike terror into the hearts of many people, young and old. One of ... «The News, Jul 15»

Stable Talk with Sophie Leech: Peckhamecho will miss Market …

A pleasing if slightly frustrating week for the stable with two seconds, two thirds and a close fifth from our five runners. The first of the week was ... «Gloucester Citizen, Jul 15»

Betting shops leech more £16millon from punters in 2014

People in Enfield have lost more than £16m to betting machines in the space of a year. According to research carried out by the Campaign for ... «Enfield Independent, Jul 15»

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Lego sets reveal new character Tasu …

... and BB-8 and two unknowns, one with braids and a beard called Tasu Leech and another nameless man from the so-called Kanjiklub gang. «The Independent, Jul 15»

STAR WARS Rumors: Is Lego Minifig Tasu Leech THE RAID's …

Yet it was a character we've not heard much about, Tasu Leech, that struck me most - could this bearded, long hair, noticeably tan figure be in ... «TwitchFilm, Jul 15»

'Downton Abbey' season 6 spoilers: Allen Leech's Tom Branson …

'Downton Abbey' season 6 spoilers: Allen Leech's Tom Branson seen on set; feelings grow between Carson and Mrs. Hughes. Staff reporter. «Ecumenical News, Jul 15»

Downton Abbey series 6: Lady Mary Michelle Dockery and Allen …

Lady Mary actress Michelle Dockery and Allen Leech, who plays Tom Branson, were pictured walking down a picturesque street in Alnwick. «Express.co.uk, Jul 15»

Leech Lake Gaming Chooses Agilysys PMS, POS Systems to …

Leech Lake Gaming needed property management and point-of-sale solutions that could manage a diverse business, which includes two ... «Business Wire, Jul 15»