Meanings
plural hemiparasites
- biologyAny parasitic plant that obtains energy by photosynthesis as well as from its host
1 more example
Most mistletoes are "hemiparasites." This means they don't rely on their hosts for all their needs: Instead, they harvest the sun's energy to make some sugars for themselves. Nonetheless, if you're a tree, you don't want to be festooned with them. Two or three shouldn't be a problem, but dozens of mistletoes can lead to water stress, insect infestation or even death.
2014 December 23, Olivia Judson, “The hemiparasite season [print version: Under the hemiparasite, International New York Times, 24–25 December 2014, p. 7]”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 18 May 2021
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna parasitic plant that contains some chlorophyll and therefore is capable of photosynthesis
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*sem-
- Proto-Indo-European*sēmi
- Proto-Hellenic[Term?]
- Ancient Greekἡμῐ- (hēmĭ-)
- Englishhemi-
- Englishparasite
- Englishhemiparasite
Cite this entry
hemiparasite. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hemiparasite
“hemiparasite.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hemiparasite. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hemiparasite,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hemiparasite.
Source: hemiparasite on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.