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?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

Words nearby commensal

commendable, commendam, commendation, commendatory, commended, commensal, commensalism, commensurable, commensurate, comment, commentariat

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use commensal in a sentence

The term described the “ecological community of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms” that live in and on our body.
The Man Who Drank Cholera and Launched the Yogurt Craze - Issue 100: Outsiders|Lina Zeldovich|May 19, 2021|Nautilus
The shells of hermit-crabs serve frequently as the home of other animals which live with them a commensal life.
The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide|Augusta Foote Arnold
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
Heretofore, as far as I know, it has only been recorded as a tube commensal with a large Amphitrite.
Journal of Entomology and Zoology: Volume 6, Number 4, December 1914|Various

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
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

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