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Glite Dictionary
hard tick

hard tick

7.7
A tick with a hard shield on its back and mouth parts that stick out from its head
  • noun
  • /hɑrd tɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : garrapata dura
  • The hard tick is known for its distinctive hard shell and ability to attach firmly to its host.

Examples

  • To obtain a blood meal, a hard tick must attach to a vertebrate host for several days.

    Academic text (1997)

  • More research on the ecology of hard ticks will help validate or invalidate these hypotheses.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Previous tick studies in Mississippi have indicated clustering of at least two hard tick species.

    Academic text (1997)

  • A hard tick can carry diseases that are harmful to both humans and animals.

  • It's important to check your pets for a hard tick after they play outdoors.

Synonyms

tick
vshard tick
  • Specialized
50 6.7

A small animal that sticks to the skin and sucks blood from animals or people

refers specifically to members of one family with a hard shield and projecting mouthparts
ixodid
vshard tick
  • Specialized
9.9

A tick with a hard shield on its back and a mouth that sticks out from its head

is the common name used in ordinary speech rather than the scientific name

Surface Forms

hard tick singular
hard ticks plural

Morphology

hard + tick

This is a simple adjective+noun combination where 'hard' describes a physical property of the 'tick'; the defined meaning (a tick with a hard shield) is directly inferable from knowing the constituent words. The compositional, descriptive pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand the term.

Etymology

Hard tick: The name hard tick comes from the tiny creature's hard plate on its back that looks like a 'shield'. Because of this visible stiff plate, people called it a hard tick, and today the term means a tick with a hard back that attaches to animals or people to feed.