commensal

[ kuh-men-suh l ]

/ kəˈmɛn səl /

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.

Nearby words

Origin of commensal

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

Related formscom·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. 2019

Examples from the Web for commensal

Pinnixa cylindrica, a related species, lives in the tubes of large annelid worms as a commensal.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide|Augusta Foote Arnold
From them Schaudinn decided that the poisonous action of the mosquito bite is caused by an enzyme from a commensal fungus.
Handbook of Medical Entomology|William Albert Riley
The subcaste or commensal group was the direct evolutionary product of the pre-existing tribe.
The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India--Volume I (of IV)|R.V. Russell
Plants or other materials used in their construction and any commensal arthropods present were saved and later identified.
Comparative Ecology of Pinyon Mice and Deer Mice in Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado|Charles L. Douglas

Chance must play a very considerable part in first bringing symbiotic or commensal partners together.
The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches|Louis M. Roth

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 Formscommensalism, 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

Word Origin and History for commensal

commensal

"one who eats at the same table" (as another), c.1400, from Old French commensal (15c.), from Medieval Latin commensalis, from com- "together" (see com-) + mensa (genitive mensalis) "table" (see mesa). Biological sense attested from 1870.

Medicine definitions for commensal

commensal

[ kə-mĕn′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.