endemic
natural to or characteristic of a specific people or place; native; indigenous: The group is committed to preserving the endemic folkways of their nation.The recession hit especially hard in countries where high unemployment is endemic.
belonging exclusively or confined to a particular place: When traveling, he caught a fever endemic to the tropics.
(of a disease) persisting in a population or region, generally having settled to a relatively constant rate of occurrence:The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 may never disappear, but could become endemic like the flu.
an endemic disease.
Origin of endemic
1Other words from endemic
- en·dem·i·cal·ly, adverb
- en·de·mism [en-duh-miz-uhm], /ˈɛn dəˌmɪz əm/, en·de·mic·i·ty [en-duh-mis-i-tee], /ˌɛn dəˈmɪs ɪ ti/, noun
- non·en·dem·ic, adjective
- un·en·dem·ic, adjective
Words that may be confused with endemic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use endemic in a sentence
And as our societies age, such brain freezes becoming an ever more endemic challenge to the making of sound public policy.
British Dictionary definitions for endemic
/ (ɛnˈdɛmɪk) /
present within a localized area or peculiar to persons in such an area
an endemic disease or plant
Origin of endemic
1Derived forms of endemic
- endemically, adverb
- endemism or endemicity, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for endemic
[ ĕn-dĕm′ĭk ]
Relating to a disease or pathogen that is found in or confined to a particular location, region, or people. Malaria, for example, is endemic to tropical regions. See also epidemic pandemic.
Native to a specific region or environment and not occurring naturally anywhere else. The giant sequoia is endemic to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. Compare alien indigenous.
usage For endemic
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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