medicinal leech


noun

a bloodsucking leech, Hirudo medicinalis, of Europe, introduced into the northeastern U.S., usually green with brown stripes, up to 4 inches (10 cm) long: once used by physicians to bleed patients.

Origin of medicinal leech

First recorded in 1885–90

British Dictionary definitions for medicinal leech

medicinal leech

noun

a large European freshwater leech, Hirudo medicinalis, formerly used in medical bloodletting