A symbiotic relationship where one organism (parasite) benefits by living in or on another organism (host), typically harming the host in the process. The parasite depends on the host for survival while providing no benefit in return.
From Greek 'parasitos' meaning 'beside food' or 'one who eats at another's table,' combined with the suffix '-ism.' The biological meaning evolved in the 1600s as scientists began studying organisms that lived at the expense of others.
Parasitism drives incredible evolutionary arms races in nature! Host species constantly evolve defenses while parasites evolve counter-strategies, leading to some of nature's most sophisticated biological warfare, like cuckoo birds tricking other species into raising their young.
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