symbiont
Americannoun
noun
-
An organism in a symbiotic relationship. In cases in which a distinction is made between two interacting organisms, the symbiont is the smaller of the two and is always a beneficiary in the relationship, while the larger organism is the host and may or may not derive a benefit.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of symbiont
1885–90; < Greek symbiont- (stem of symbiṓn ), present participle of symbioûn “to live together”; see symbiosis, onto-
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.
"Through horizontal gene transfer, lucinid symbionts likely obtained the nitrogen fixation genes from another symbiont lineage," notes Morel-Letelier.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2024
For that, they compared the genomes of symbionts across the Isthmus of Panama with other lucinid symbiont genomes from around the world.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2024
Bacteria, for instance, may make up as much as 95 percent of the serotonin in our bloodstreams, meaning you have a diverse symbiont community to thank for your pleasant mood.
From Slate ● Jan. 23, 2020
"The host and the symbiont communicate in ways we don't understand," she says.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 14, 2019
Its previous hosts had been color blind, and the symbiont wallowed in an orgy of bright sensation.
From Insidekick by Bone, Jesse F. (Jesse Franklin)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
