ˌbabəˈzīəˌdē, -zē- noun plural
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Babesia, type genus + -idae
: a family of Haemosporidia comprising minute parasites of the red blood cells of mammals that are transmitted from host to host by the bite of a tick intermediate host and cause certain destructive diseases of domestic animals — see babesia , piroplasm , theileria