dulosis

American

[doo-loh-sis, dyoo-] / duˈloʊ sɪs, dyu- /

noun

the enslavement of an ant colony or its members by ants of a different species.

dulosis British

/ djuːˈləʊsɪs, djuːˈlɒtɪk /

noun

Also called: helotism. a practice of some ants, in which one species forces members of a different species to do the work of the colony

"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

Other Word Forms

dulotic adjective

Etymology

Origin of dulosis

1900–05; < Greek doúlōsis enslavement, equivalent to doulō-, variant stem of douloún to enslave (derivative of doûlos slave + -sis -sis

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Dulosis, is that mingling of colonies which owes its origin to the enslavement of one species by another.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023