HIRUDO MEDICINALIS

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Hirudo medicinalis mean? 

• HIRUDO MEDICINALIS (noun)
  The noun HIRUDO MEDICINALIS has 1 sense:

1. large European freshwater leech formerly used for bloodletting

  Familiarity information: HIRUDO MEDICINALIS used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HIRUDO MEDICINALIS (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Large European freshwater leech formerly used for bloodletting

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

Hirudo medicinalis; medicinal leech

Hypernyms ("Hirudo medicinalis" is a kind of...):

bloodsucker; hirudinean; leech (carnivorous or bloodsucking aquatic or terrestrial worms typically having a sucker at each end)

Holonyms ("Hirudo medicinalis" is a member of...):

genus Hirudo; Hirudo (type genus of the family Hirudinidae)

 Context examples 

Natural hirudin, a family of highly homologous isopolypeptides, is produced in trace amounts by the leech Hirudo medicinalis.

(Lepirudin, NCI Thesaurus)