A person who takes advantage of others by enjoying benefits, food, or services without paying or contributing.
Compound of 'free' (Old English 'freo,' meaning at no cost) and 'loader' (one who loads, from Old English 'lad'). Became common in early 1900s American English.
A freeloader literally 'loads' themselves up with free stuff—the image is someone greedily loading their plate at a party without contributing to the potluck, which perfectly captures the meaning!
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.