1
- an aquatic or terrestrial annelid worm with suckers at both ends. Many species are bloodsucking parasites, especially of vertebrates, and others are predators.水蛭。
1.1
- Class Hirudinea: many species.蛭纲, 多种。参见MEDICINAL LEECH.
2
- a person who extorts profit from or sponges on others榨取利润者, 吸血鬼, 寄生者：
they are leeches feeding off the hard-working majority.
他们是依靠劳苦大众生活的吸血鬼。
no obj.(leech on/off)
- habitually exploit or rely on剥削; 依附于：
he's leeching off the abilities of others.
他依靠别人的能力。
短语
like a leech
- persistently or clingingly present钉住不放; 纠缠不休：
he's been hanging around Caroline like a leech.
他一直缠住卡罗琳不放。
词源
Old English lǣce， lȳce; related to Middle Dutch lake, lieke.
- Sailing the after or leeward edge of a fore-and-aft sail, the leeward edge of a spinnaker, or a vertical edge of a square sail【航海】纵帆下风缘; 横帆两侧边缘。
词源
late 15th cent.: probably of Scandinavian origin and related to Swedish lik, Danish lig, denoting a rope sewn round the edge of a sail to stop the canvas tearing.