phoresy

American

[fawr-uh-see] / ˈfɔr ə si /

noun

Zoology.

(among insects and arachnids) a nonparasitic relationship in which one species is carried about by another.

phoresy British

/ ˈfɒrəsɪ /

noun

an association in which one animal clings to another to ensure movement from place to place, as some mites use some insects

"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

Etymology

Origin of phoresy

1920–25; < New Latin phoresia < Greek phórēs ( is ) a wearing ( phorē-, verbid stem of phoreîn, durative of phérein to bear ¹ + -sis -sis ) + -ia -y ³

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