commensal
Use Commensal in a sentence
səl adjective
1.
eating together at the same table.
2.
Ecology. (of an animal, plant, fungus, etc.) living with, on, or in another, without injury to either.
3.
Sociology. (of a person or group) not competing while residing in or occupying the same area as another individual or group having independent or different values or customs.
noun
4.
a companion at table.
5.
Ecology. a commensal organism.
00:10
Commensal
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| the offspring of a zebra and a donkey. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To commensal
Collins
World English Dictionary
commensal (kəˈmɛnsəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —adj | |
| 1. | (of two different species of plant or animal) living in close association, such that one species benefits without harming the other |
| 2. | rare of or relating to eating together, esp at the same table: commensal pleasures |
| —n | |
| 3. | a commensal plant or animal |
| 4. | rare a companion at table |
| [C14: from Medieval Latin commensālis, from Latin com- together + mensa table] | |
| com'mensalism | |
| —n | |
| commensality | |
| —n | |
| com'mensally | |
| —adv | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
commensal
"one who eats at the same table," c.1400, from O.Fr. commensal, from M.L. commensalis, from com- "together" + mensa (gen. mensalis) "table." Biological sense attested from 1870.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
commensal com·men·sal (kə-měn'səl)
adj.
Of, relating to, or characterized by a symbiotic relationship in which one species is benefited while the other is unaffected. n.
An organism participating in a symbiotic relationship in which one species derives some benefit while the other is unaffected.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
Resistant strains of pathogenic bacteria can arise through initial selection of resistant strains in the commensal flora.
Then the fish moved further out of the depth of the anemone to examine the commensal shrimp.
The bacteria themselves evolved to favor commensal, and symbiotic relationships.
There would appear to be a natural commensal relationship between the concept of a solar voltaic powered boat and a sail boat.
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