endosymbiosis

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noun

The condition of living within the body or cells of another organism; an instance of an organism so living.

Scrabble 21

Meanings

nounendosymbiosis (countable and uncountable, plural endosymbioses)

plural endosymbioses

  1. countableuncountablebiologyThe condition of living within the body or cells of another organism; an instance of an organism so living.

    The second chapter (by David Smith) describes the primary endosymbiosis as an introduction for secondary endosymbioses. He illustrates the origin of primary endosymbiosis, plastid genome evolution, and loss of photosynthesis in some lineages of Archaeplastida.

    2017, “Secondary Endosymbioses”, in Yoshihisa Hirakawa, editor, Advances in Botanical Research, volume 84, Elsevier (Academic Press), page xi
    2 more examples

    Interspecific associations are currently believed to take part in evolution by improving a partner's fitness through integrated endosymbioses or by causing reproductive isolation and subsequent host speciation, such as in the Wolbachia endosymbioses (Nardon and Grenier, 1991; Margulis, 1993a; Bordenstein et al., 2001).

    2003, Abdelaziz Heddi, “5: Endosymbiosis in the Weevil of the Genus Sitophilus: Genetic, Physiological, and Molecular Interactions among Associated Genomes”, in Kostas Bourtzis, Thomas A. Miller, editors, Insect Symbiosis, Taylor & Francis (CRC Press), page 67

    2014, Robert E. Blankenship, Molecular Mechanisms of Photosynthesis, Wiley Blackwell, 2nd Edition, page 226, Evidence is now overwhelming that several groups of eukaryotic algae originated from a secondary endosymbiosis, in which a eukaryotic alga was incorporated into a second host (Palmer and Delwiche, 1996; Delwiche and Palmer, 1997; Delwiche, 1999; Keeling, 2010, 2013; Curtis et al., 2012).

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁n̥dóm
  2. Proto-Hellenic*éndon
  3. Ancient Greekἔνδον (éndon)
  4. Englishendo-
  5. Englishsymbiosis
  6. Englishendosymbiosis

From endo- + symbiosis.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 內共生 /内共生
  • 內共生 /内共生 (nèigòngshēng)living within another organism
Estonian endosümbioos
  • endosümbioosliving within another organism
French endosymbiose
  • endosymbioseliving within another organism
German Endosymbiose
  • Endosymbioseliving within another organism
Hebrew אנדוסימביוזה
  • אנדוסימביוזהliving within another organism
Korean 내공생
  • 내공생 (naegongsaeng)living within another organism
Portuguese endossimbiose
  • endossimbioseliving within another organism
Russian эндосимбио́з
  • эндосимбио́з (endosimbióz)living within another organism
Spanish endosimbiosis
  • endosimbiosisliving within another organism
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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