Dictionary.com

commensal

[ kuh-men-suhl ]
/ kəˈmɛn səl /
Save This Word!

adjective
eating together at the same table.
Ecology. (of an animal, plant, fungus, etc.) living with, on, or in another, without injury to either.
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
a companion at table.
Ecology. a commensal organism.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of commensal

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word commēnsālis.See com-, mensal2

OTHER WORDS FROM commensal

com·men·sal·ism, nouncom·men·sal·i·ty [kom-en-sal-i-tee], /ˌkɒm ɛnˈsæl ɪ ti/, nouncom·men·sal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use commensal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for commensal

commensal
/ (kəˈmɛnsəl) /

adjective
(of two different species of plant or animal) living in close association, such that one species benefits without harming the other
rare of or relating to eating together, esp at the same tablecommensal pleasures
noun
a commensal plant or animal
rare a companion at table

Derived forms of commensal

commensalism, nouncommensality (ˌkɒmɛnˈsælɪtɪ), nouncommensally, adverb

Word Origin for commensal

C14: from Medieval Latin commensālis, from Latin com- together + mensa table
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
FEEDBACK