LEECH

I. noun Etymology: Middle English leche, from Old English lǣce; akin to Old High German lāhhi physician Date: before 12th century physician , surgeon , any of numerous carnivorous or bloodsucking usually freshwater annelid worms (class Hirudinea) that have typically a flattened lanceolate segmented body with a sucker at each end, a hanger-on who seeks advantage or gain, see: parasite ~like adjective II. verb Date: 1641 transitive verb to bleed by the use of ~es, to drain the substance of ; exhaust , intransitive verb to attach oneself to a person as a ~, III. noun also leach Etymology: Middle English leche; akin to Middle Low German līk boltrope Date: 15th century either vertical edge of a square sail, the after edge of a fore-and-aft sail