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commensal

Syllabification: (com·men·sal)
Pronunciation: /kəˈmensəl/

Definition of commensal

adjective

Biology
  • of, relating to, or exhibiting commensalism.

noun

Biology
  • a commensal organism, such as many bacteria.

Derivatives

commensality

Pronunciation: /ˌkämenˈsalitē/

noun

Origin:

late 19th century: from medieval Latin commensalis, from com- 'sharing' + mensa 'a table'

commensal in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of commensal in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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