endemic

[en-dem-ik]

adjective Also en·dem·i·cal.

natural to or characteristic of a specific people or place; native; indigenous: endemic folkways; countries where high unemployment is endemic.

belonging exclusively or confined to a particular place: a fever endemic to the tropics.

noun

an endemic disease.

Origin of endemic

1655–65; < New Latin endēmicus, equivalent to Greek éndēm(os) endemic (en- en-² + dêm(os) people + -os adj. suffix) + Latin -icus -ic

Related formsen·dem·i·cal·ly, adverben·de·mism

[en-duh-miz-uh m] /ˈɛn dəˌmɪz əm/, en·de·mic·i·ty

[en-duh-mis-i-tee] /ˌɛn dəˈmɪs ɪ ti/, nounnon·en·dem·ic, adjectiveun·en·dem·ic, adjective

Can be confusedendemic epidemic pandemic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for endemicity

endemic

adjective Also: endemial (ɛnˈdɛmɪəl), endemical

present within a localized area or peculiar to persons in such an area

noun

an endemic disease or plant

Derived Formsendemically, adverbendemism or endemicity, noun

Word Origin for endemic

C18: from New Latin endēmicus, from Greek endēmos native, from en- ² + dēmos the people

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 endemicity

endemic

1660s, from Greek endemos "native, dwelling in (a place), of or belonging to a people" (from en "in;" see en- (2) + demos "people, district;" see demotic) + -ic. From 1759 as an adjective. Endemical is attested from 1650s.

Medicine definitions for endemicity

endemic

[ĕn-dĕm′ĭk]

adj.

Prevalent in or restricted to a particular region, community, or group of people. Used of a disease.

Enzootic.

Related formsen•dem′i•cal•ly adv.en•dem′ism n.

Science definitions for endemicity

endemic

[ĕn-dĕm′ĭk]

Relating to a disease or pathogen that is found in or confined to a particular location, region, or people. Malaria, for example, is endemic to tropical regions. See also epidemic pandemic.

Native to a specific region or environment and not occurring naturally anywhere else. The giant sequoia is endemic to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. Compare alien indigenous.

Usage: A disease that occurs regularly in a particular area, as malaria does in many tropical countries, is said to be endemic. The word endemic, built from the prefix en-, in or within, and the Greek word demos, people, means within the people (of a region). A disease that affects many more people than usual in a particular area or that spreads into regions in which it does not usually occur is said to be epidemic. This word, built from the prefix epi-, meaning upon, and demos, means upon the people. In order for a disease to become epidemic it must be highly contagious, that is, easily spread through a population. Influenza has been the cause of many epidemics throughout history. Epidemics of waterborne diseases such as cholera often occur after natural disasters such as earthquakes and severe storms that disrupt or destroy sanitation systems and supplies of fresh water.