commensal Hear it!

commensal Definition

com·men·sal (kə men′səl)

noun

  1. a companion at meals
  2. Biol. either of the organisms living in commensalism

Etymology: ME < ML commensalis < L com-, with + mensa, table: see mensal

adjective

designating, of, or like a commensal

commensal Related Forms

com·men′·sally adverb

commensal Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

  • flora: Second, a number of the bacterial species which comprise the commensal flora can also cause disease.
  • bacterium: Oral candida is common in new-born babies because they do not have commensal bacteria in their mouths and can be infected during birth.
  • organism: They form a group of commensal organisms whose presence is essential to our health.
  • relationship: However, the most spectacular of the commensal relationships is the sharing of the shell with a species of sea anemone.
  • rodent: The occurrence of commensal rodents in English dwellings as revealed by the 1996 English house condition survey.
  • yeast: Certain healthy and also affected individuals can develop cell-mediated immune responses to the antigens associated with this commensal yeast.