western black-legged tick
- noun
- Specialized
:
garrapata de patas negras del oeste
- The western black-legged tick is responsible for spreading Lyme disease in northern California.
Examples
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I found a western black-legged tick on my arm.
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Researchers are studying the habitat of the western black-legged tick to understand how to control its population.
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Hikers are advised to check for western black-legged ticks after walking through wooded areas in the West.
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The western black-legged tick is common in California.
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Hikers are advised to check for western black-legged ticks after walking through wooded areas in the West.
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The western black-legged tick is responsible for spreading Lyme disease in northern California.
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I found a western black-legged tick on my arm while camping in the woods.
Synonyms
50
6.7
A small animal that sticks to the skin and sucks blood from animals or people
A small tick in western North America that can spread Lyme disease
A group of hard ticks that can spread disease to people and animals
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is a straightforward descriptive compound: 'western' (from the west) + 'black-legged' (having black legs) + 'tick' (a parasitic arachnid). A B1 learner who knows these constituents can infer it refers to a species of tick found in the west that has black legs; this kind of geographic + physical descriptor naming is cross-linguistically common.
Etymology
Western black-legged tick is a simple, descriptive name: western shows where it is found, black-legged describes its dark legs, and tick is the tiny blood-sucking bug. So the name helps you remember the small creature that can 'bite' people and 'spread Lyme disease'.