xenobiosis

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noun

A form of symbiosis where one species of ant lives with another and the two species raise their young separately.

OriginEnglish xeno- ← Ancient Greek ξένος (xénos) ← Proto-Hellenic *ksénwos →
Scrabble 19
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Meanings

nounxenobiosis (uncountable)
  1. uncountablebiologyA form of symbiosis where one species of ant lives with another and the two species raise their young separately.

    Although this explanation is readily suggested by the well-known cases of dulosis and xenobiosis in ants, we are, nevertheless, bound to reject it for the following reasons […]

    1904, Bulletin of the University of Texas: Scientific series

Origin

  1. Proto-Hellenic*ksénwos
  2. Ancient Greekξένϝος (xénwos)
  3. Ancient Greekξένος (xénos)
  4. Englishxeno-
  5. Englishxenobiosis

From xeno- + -biosis.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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