bloodsucker

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun carnivorous or bloodsucking aquatic or terrestrial worms typically having a sucker at each end

From blood + sucker. The “changeable lizard” sense is perhaps because of the reddish color of its neck.

"O the bloodsuckers!" cried he. — The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, Howard Pyle
But he is worse: he is a child-robber, a bloodsucker, a hypocrite and a cheat. — Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy, Bernard Shaw
“If I'm to die I'd rather be shot by an honest Yankee soldier than be stung to death by these clouds of bloodsuckers. — The Scouts of Stonewall: The Story of the Great Valley Campaign, Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler

leech, hirudinean

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