Inquiline Definition

ĭnkwə-līn, -lĭn, ĭng-
noun
An animal, usually an insect, that lives in the nest or abode of another, with or without harm to the host.
Webster's New World

(biology) An organism that lives within a reservoir of water collected in the hollow of a plant stem or leaf.

Wiktionary
adjective
Being or living as an inquiline.
American Heritage Medicine

Other Word Forms of Inquiline

Noun

Singular:
inquiline
Plural:
inquilines

Origin of Inquiline

  • Latin inquilīnus lodger, tenant in- in in–2 colere to inhabit kwel-1 in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • From Latin inquilīnus (“tenant, lodger”)

    From Wiktionary

Inquiline Sentence Examples

  • These later stages, comprising the greater part of the larval history, are adapted for an inquiline or a parasitic life, where shelter is assured and food abundant, while the short-lived, active condition enables the newly-hatched insect to make its way to the spot favourable for its future development, clinging, for example, in the case of an oil-beetle's larva, to the hairs of a bee as she flies towards her nest.

  • Other flies of this group have the inquiline habit, laying their eggs in the galls of other species, while others again pierce the cuticle of maggots or aphids, in whose bodies their larvae live as parasites.

  • Friese, the relations between the host and the inquiline are quite friendly, and the insects if they meet in the nestgalleries courteously get out of each other's way.

  • Sharp, in commenting on this strange behaviour, points out that the host can have no idea why the inquiline haunts her nest.

  • The colonies of Bombus illustrate the rise of the inquiline habit.

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Words Starting With

IININQ

Words Ending With

ENEINE

Unscrambles

inquiline

Words Starting With I and Ending With E

Starts With I & Ends With EStarts With IN & Ends With EStarts With I & Ends With NE

Word Length

9 Letter Words9 Letter Words Starting With I9 Letter Words Ending With E