symbiosis
/ˌsɪmbɪˈəʊsɪs
/ /ˌsɪmbʌɪˈəʊsɪs/noun (plural symbioses /ˌsɪmbɪˈəʊsiːz/ /ˌsɪmbʌɪˈəʊsiːz/) [mass noun] Biology
1Interaction between two different organisms living in close physical association, typically to the advantage of both. Compare with antibiosis.We see how plants and animals live together in symbiosis; as we breathe out carbon dioxide the plants take it and give us back oxygen....
- The investigation of early events and molecules involved in fungal - plant interactions are crucial for a better understanding of symbiosis.
- The establishment of symbiosis is the result of a complex series of interactions between the symbiont and the host plant.
1.1 [count noun] A mutually beneficial relationship between different people or groups: a perfect mother and daughter symbiosis...
- They seek to take advantage of each other to solve their own problems in the process of competition, which brings about some odd long-term symbioses and temporary alliances.
- Drasko Jovanovic points out the important symbiosis between particle physics and cosmology.
- The fact of little transfer of words from one language to another does not mean there cannot have been long-term symbiosis of speakers of different languages.
Derivatives
symbiotically
- Our view that the process should move on without those inextricably and symbiotically linked to terrorism and criminality will more and more be seen as the inevitable way forward.
- However, all stages left their indelible imprints in the vast reservoir of human knowledge and each stage was symbiotically linked to the other, in the sense that each left valuable resources for the next.
- The Fine Art tradition today does not live symbiotically with design: it lives parasitically off of the communicative and vital language established by design.
Origin
Late 19th century: modern Latin, from Greek sumbiōsis 'a living together', from sumbioun 'live together', from sumbios 'companion'.
Rhymes
- heavenly
- heavenly bamboo
- heavenly body
- heavenly minded
- Heaven (or God) forfend
- heaven-pointing
- heaven queen
- heaven-send
- heaven-sent
- heaven-tree
- heavenward
- heavenwards
- heaven-wide
- heaver
- heave to
- heavier-than-air
- heavily
- heavily built
- heavily laden
- heavily loaded
- heaviness
- heaving
- heaving line
- Heaviside layer
- Heaviside, Oliver