antibiosis

A1N1T1I1B3I1O1S1I1S1

noun

An association between organisms that is detrimental (harmful) to one or more of them; especially that due to a metabolic substance produced by one of them.

OriginEnglish anti- ← Ancient Greek ἀντι- (anti-) ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti →
Scrabble 12
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Meanings

nounantibiosis (countable and uncountable, plural antibioses)

plural antibioses

  1. countableuncountablebiologyAn association between organisms that is detrimental (harmful) to one or more of them; especially that due to a metabolic substance produced by one of them.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₂ent-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énts
  3. Proto-Indo-European*h₂énti
  4. Ancient Greekᾰ̓ντῐ́ (ăntĭ́)
  5. Ancient Greekἀντι- (anti-)
  6. Englishanti-
  7. Englishantibiosis

From anti- + -biosis.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic تَضَادّ حَيَوِيّ
  • تَضَادّ حَيَوِيّ (taḍādd ḥayawiyy)an association between organisms that is detrimental to one of them
Catalan antibiosi
  • antibiosian association between organisms that is detrimental to one of them
Chinese Mandarin 抗生
  • 抗生 (kàngshēng)an association between organisms that is detrimental to one of them
German Antibiose
  • Antibiosean association between organisms that is detrimental to one of them
Polish antybioza
  • antybiozaan association between organisms that is detrimental to one of them
Portuguese antibiose
  • antibiosean association between organisms that is detrimental to one of them
Cite this entry
APA

antibiosis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/antibiosis

MLA

“antibiosis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/antibiosis. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “antibiosis,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/antibiosis.

Source: antibiosis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.