What do you call a tick? - briefly
«Tick» is a blood‑sucking arachnid belonging to the order Ixodida. It is commonly referred to as a parasite.
What do you call a tick? - in detail
A tick belongs to the subclass Acari, order Ixodida. In scientific literature the organism is identified as a “hard tick” (family Ixodidae) or a “soft tick” (family Argasidae), depending on the presence of a scutum. The term “tick” itself derives from the Old English word «tician», meaning to attach.
Common names vary by region and species. Typical alternatives include:
- «blood‑sucking arachnid»
- «parasite of mammals and birds»
- «vector insect» (though technically not an insect)
- Species‑specific labels such as «deer tick», «dog tick», «cattle tick»
The classification hierarchy is:
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Arthropoda
- Class Arachnida
- Subclass Acari
- Order Ixodida
- Families Ixodidae (hard) and Argasidae (soft)
Medical relevance stems from the tick’s role as a carrier of pathogens. Prominent diseases transmitted include Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever, caused by Rickettsia rickettsii. Control measures focus on habitat management, acaricide application, and personal protective clothing.
In linguistic contexts, the word is employed both as a noun («tick») and as a verb («to tick»), the latter unrelated to the arthropod. The noun’s plural form follows standard English rules, becoming «ticks». No alternative spelling is accepted in formal taxonomy.