Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Of, relating to, or characterized by a symbiotic relationship in which one species is benefited while the other is unaffected.
- noun An organism participating in a symbiotic relationship in which one species derives some benefit while the other is unaffected.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Eating together at the same table.
- In zoology and botany, living with as a tenant or coinhabitant, but not as a parasite; inquiline. See II., 2.
- noun One who eats at the same table with another or others.
- noun In zoology and botany, one of two animals or plants which live together, but neither at the expense of the other; an animal or a plant as a tenant, but not a true parasite, of another; an inquiline.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun obsolete One who eats at the same table.
- noun (Zoöl.) An animal, not truly parasitic, which lives in, with, or on, another, partaking usually of the same food. Both species may be benefited by the association.
- adjective Having the character of a commensal.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective ecology of a form of
symbiosis in which oneorganism derives abenefit while the other isunaffected - noun ecology An organism partaking in a commensal relationship.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun either of two different animal or plant species living in close association but not interdependent
- adjective living in a state of commensalism
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word commensal.
Examples
-
These beneficial bugs are called commensal bacteria.
PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010
-
He who lives at the expense of another, and at his table, is his "commensal".
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 10: Mass Music-Newman 1840-1916 1913
-
Over millions of years, it has learned to live benignly on human skin and in human nostrils, in a microscopic intimacy that biologists call “commensal,” from the Latin words for “being at table together.”
SUPERBUG MARYN MCKENNA 2010
-
Over millions of years, it has learned to live benignly on human skin and in human nostrils, in a microscopic intimacy that biologists call “commensal,” from the Latin words for “being at table together.”
SUPERBUG MARYN MCKENNA 2010
-
Over millions of years, it has learned to live benignly on human skin and in human nostrils, in a microscopic intimacy that biologists call “commensal,” from the Latin words for “being at table together.”
SUPERBUG MARYN MCKENNA 2010
-
The commensal skin bacteria that I am doing research on can be used as a substitute for bathing.
Thing to keep in mind if you’re having shoulder surgery Professor in Training 2009
-
All three are human commensal staple diet: pizza crusts and very, very tolerant of proximity of people, traffic, cats & dogs.
Rabett Run EliRabett 2009
-
When I took a human-animal interaction class in college, we were taught that cats are not properly considered domesticated but commensal, like a remora or a cowbird but with much more sophisticated social engineering!
Hard wired to the past | The Blog of Michael R. Eades, M.D. 2009
-
Furthermore, human commensal species, such as great-tailed grackle Quiscalus mexiccanus and bronzed cowbird Molothrus aeneus, normally increase in number around human settlements and result in the loss of nesting success in other birds.
-
A hush descends on the commensal gathering of friends and relatives the moment the steaming dishes are laid down.
Food 2009
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.