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tick

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tick

Main Entry:: ¹tick
Pronunciation:: \ˈtik\
Function:: noun
Etymology:: Middle English tyke, teke; akin to Middle High German zeche tick, Armenian tiz
Date:: 14th century

1 : any of a superfamily (Ixodoidea) of bloodsucking acarid arachnids that are larger than the related mites, attach themselves to warm-blooded vertebrates to feed, and include important vectors of infectious diseases 2 : any of various usually wingless parasitic dipteran flies — compare sheep ked

[tick illustration]

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