endemism








adjective Also en·dem·i·cal.

  1. natural to or characteristic of a specific people or place; native; indigenous: endemic folkways; countries where high unemployment is endemic.
  2. belonging exclusively or confined to a particular place: a fever endemic to the tropics.

noun

  1. an endemic disease.

adjective Also: endemial (ɛnˈdɛmɪəl), endemical

  1. present within a localized area or peculiar to persons in such an area

noun

  1. an endemic disease or plant
n.

1660s, from Greek endemos “native, dwelling in (a place), of or belonging to a people” (from en “in;” see en- (2) + demos “people, district;” see demotic) + -ic. From 1759 as an adjective. Endemical is attested from 1650s.

adj.

  1. Prevalent in or restricted to a particular region, community, or group of people. Used of a disease.
  2. Enzootic.

  1. Relating to a disease or pathogen that is found in or confined to a particular location, region, or people. Malaria, for example, is endemic to tropical regions. See also epidemic pandemic.
  2. Native to a specific region or environment and not occurring naturally anywhere else. The giant sequoia is endemic to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. Compare alien indigenous.
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