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commensal

[kuh-men-suh l]
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
  1. a companion at table.
  2. Ecology. a commensal organism.

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for commensal

Historical Examples of commensal

British Dictionary definitions for commensal

commensal

adjective
  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 tablecommensal pleasures
noun
  1. a commensal plant or animal
  2. 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
n.

"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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
commensal in Medicine

commensal

[kə-mĕn′səl]
adj.
  1. Of, relating to, or characterized by a symbiotic relationship in which one species is benefited while the other is unaffected.
n.
  1. 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.