endemic
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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[edit] English
[edit] Alternative forms
- endemick (obsolete)
[edit] Etymology
From Ancient Greek ἐν (en, “in”) + δῆμος (dēmos, “people”). Possibly via ἔνδημος (endēmos) and/or French endémique.
[edit] Pronunciation
[edit] Adjective
endemic (not comparable)
- Native to a particular area or culture; originating where it occurs.
- Kangaroos are endemic to Australia.
- (Especially of plants and animals.) Peculiar to a particular area or region; not found in other places.
- The endemic religion of Easter Island arrived with the Polynesian settlers.
- (Especially of diseases.) Prevalent in a particular area or region.
- Malaria is endemic to the tropics.
- 1998, Gillian Catriona Ramchand, Deconstructing the Lexicon, in Miriam Butt and Wilhelm Geuder, eds. “The Projection of Arguments”
- These problems are endemic to the theory of thematic roles as currently conceived, because the classification it implies simply does not correspond to legitimate linguistic semantic definitions.
[edit] Usage notes
An endemic disease is one which is constantly present in a given area, though usually at low levels, whereas an epidemic is widespread and has a high incidence. A sporadic disease occurs now and then at low levels.
- For examples of the usage of this term see the citations page.
[edit] Synonyms
- (native to a particular area): native
- (peculiar to a particular area): indigenous
[edit] Antonyms
- (native to a particular area): alien, introduced
- (localized): systemic
[edit] Related terms
[edit] Translations
native to a particular area
peculiar to a particular area
prevalent in a particular area
[edit] Noun
endemic (plural endemics)
- An individual or species that is endemic to a region.
- 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society 2011, p. 34:
- The species that appeared as a consequence were endemics; that is, they were found nowhere else in the world.
- 2004, Richard Fortey, The Earth, Folio Society 2011, p. 34:
