horse-leech, n.
(ˈhɔːsliːtʃ)
[f. horse + leech:—OE. lǽce, léce, physician.]
† 1. A horse-doctor, farrier, veterinary surgeon.
| 1493 Mem. Ripon (Surtees) III. 165 Item Johanni Hors⁓leych pro medicacione j equo magistri Langton, 7d. c 1515 Cocke Lorell's B. (Percy Soc.) 9 Bokell smythes, horse leches, and gold beters. 1529 More Dyaloge ii. x. 52 b/2 Saynt Loy we make an horsleche, and must let our horse rather renne vnshodde and marre hys hoofe than to shoo hym on hys daye. 1653 Z. Bogan Mirth Chr. Life 234 The horse..will not endure the hand of the horseleech. |
2. An aquatic sucking worm (Hæmopsis sanguisorba) differing from the common leech in its larger size, and in the formation of the jaws.
(In some early quots. it seems to mean the common medicinal leech.)
| 14.. Nom. in Wr.-Wülcker 706/26 Hec sanguissuga, a horsleche. 1530 Palsgr. 232/2 Horse leche, a worme, sansue. 1535 Coverdale Prov. xxx. 15 This generacion (which is like an horsleche) hath two doughters [1388 Wyclif The watir leche hath twei douȝtris]: y⊇ one is called, fetch hither: the other, brynge hither. 1573–80 Baret Alv. H. 663 An Horse leach, or bloudsucker worme, hirudo. 1581 Marbeck Bk. of Notes 503 The Horse-leach hath two daughters..that is, two forks in her tongue, which he heere calleth her daughters, wherby she sucketh the bloud, and is neuer saciate. 1625 Hart Anat. Ur. i. ii. 15 Horse-leaches were wont to taste of the horses dung. 1802 Bingley Anim. Biog. (1813) III. 412 Horse-leeches are..so extremely greedy of blood, that a vulgar notion is prevalent, that nine of them are able to destroy a horse. 1880 Chambers' Encycl. VI. 74/2 The Horse-leech..is much larger than the medicinal species..but its teeth are comparatively blunt, and it is little of a blood-sucker—notwithstanding the popular notion..It feeds greedily on earth-worms. |
3. fig. A rapacious, insatiable person.
| 1546 Suppl. Poor Commons (1871) 63 Besides the infinit number of purgatory horseleches. 1608 Sylvester Du Bartas ii. iv. iv. Decay 192 Thou life of strife, thou Horse⁓leach sent from hell. 1705 Hickeringill Priest-cr. i. (1721) 18 Of all Priests, the Popes have been in several Ages the great Horse-leaches and Blood-suckers. 1836–48 B. D. Walsh Aristoph., Clouds i. i, He has disregarded my advice, and stuck horse-leeches on to my estate. |
Hence † horse-leech, v. trans. to suck insatiably (as reputed of the horse-leech): † ˈhorse-ˌleechery, -leechcraft, veterinary medicine.
| 1679 Prot. Conformist 3 They have thereby Horse-leach'd a great deal of the best blood in Europe. 1688 R. Holme Armoury ii. 149/2 Horse Leachery, or Leach-craft, is the Art of curing Horses of Diseases. |