PAR'ASITE, n. [L. parasita; Gr. by, and corn.] 1. In ancient Greece, a priest or minister of the gods whose office was to gather of the husbandman the corn allotted for public sacrifices. The parasites also superintended the sacrifices.2. In modern usage, a trencher friend; one that frequents the tables of the rich and earns his welcome by flattery; a hanger on; a fawning flatterer.3. In botany,a plant growing on the stem or branch of another plant and receiving its nourishment from it, as the mistletoe.
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