Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for host-specific. Search instead for poses specific.

host-specific

American  
[hohst-spi-sif-ik] / ˈhoʊst spɪˈsɪf ɪk /

adjective

  1. capable of living solely on or in one species of host, as a parasite that infests only chickens.


Etymology

Origin of host-specific

First recorded in 1965–70


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.

See Examples For:

Their work supports earlier findings, based on DNA markers and crossing experiments which suggested that F. xylarioides is a species complex containing distinct, host-specific populations.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 5, 2024

And one of the most abundant milkweed-visiting aphids, the nonnative oleander aphid, is host-specific, meaning it doesn’t eat other plants.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 8, 2023

Viruses are host-specific because they only can attach to and infect cells of certain organisms.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

To investigate host-specific adaptation of parasites to human and chimpanzee hosts, we compared P. malariae to P. malariae-like.

From Nature ● Jan. 24, 2017

“Genetic evidence for female host-specific races of the common cuckoo.”

From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2010

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Just like flashcards, but way more fun

Don't take our word for it. Leave the boring studying behind and join VocabTrainer today. You'll learn even faster and never look back.

Take me to Vocabulary.com