Bloodsucker

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈblʌdˌsʌkɚ/

Definitions

1. An organism or person that survives by draining vital fluids or resources from unwilling victims for selfish benefit
2. A parasitic creature or exploitative individual that drains essential resources or vitality from a host organism or unwilling victim
3. An animal that consumes blood from living hosts or a merciless person who extracts wealth and emotional energy from others for personal gain

Etymology: Blood-sucking animals were known long before English had a word for them, but the compound itself is plain and transparent: "blood" joined to "sucker," an agent noun from "suck." What makes it interesting is the second part. "Sucker" has been used for centuries to mean a creature or person easily taken in, and a bloodsucker in the figurative sense is someone who drains others the way a leech drains a body. The literal sense goes back to the animal itself. Leeches, mosquitoes and vampire bats all feed on blood, and English speakers applied the image to people who live off others. The figurative use has nothing to do with blood as such. It describes a parasitic relationship, the taking of something vital from someone who never agreed to give it.

Synonyms: vampire, parasite, leech, siphon, scavenger