semiparasitic

American

[sem-ee-par-uh-sit-ik, sem-ahy-] / ˌsɛm iˌpær əˈsɪt ɪk, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

adjective

Biology. commonly parasitic but also capable of living on dead or decaying animal matter.
Botany. partly parasitic and partly photosynthetic.

semiparasitic British

/ ˌsɛmɪˌpærəˈsɪtɪk /

adjective

(of plants, such as mistletoe) obtaining some food from a host but undergoing photosynthesis at the same time
(of bacteria or fungi) usually parasitic but capable of living as a saprotroph

"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

Etymology

Origin of semiparasitic

First recorded in 1875–80; semi- + parasitic

Example Sentences

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semiparasitic

The Cyclostomes are remarkable among vertebrates in that they are semiparasitic in habit.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 7, Slice 8 "Cube" to "Daguerre, Louis" by Various

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