Where does “parasitism” come from?
Parasitism derives from English parasite plus the Ancient Greek suffix -ισμός, from Latin parasitus, from Ancient Greek παράσιτος meaning "one who eats at another's table," from παρά meaning "beside" and per- in Proto-Indo-European.
parasitism (English): Interaction between two organisms, in which one...
Definitions
- Interaction between two organisms, in which one...
Ancestry of “parasitism”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | parasite | A person who lives on other people's efforts or... |
| 2 | Middle French | parasite | — |
| 3 | Latin | parasītus | guest |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | παράσιτος | one who eats at the table of another, parasite;... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | παρά | |
| 6 | Latin | verēdus | A fast or light breed of horse; courier's horse; hunter |
| 7 | Gaulish | werēdos | horse |
| 8 | Proto-Celtic | *uɸoreidos | horse |