See Also: commensal(medicine)
Commensal(health)
commensal(dictionary)
commensal parasite(medicine)

commensal (iou)



commensal adjective & noun. LME.
[French, or its source medieval Latin commensalis, formed as COM- + mensa table: see -AL1.]
A. adjective.
Eating at or pertaining to the same table. LME.
Biology. Of, pertaining to, or exhibiting commensalism. L19.
b. noun.
Any of a company eating at the same table. Formerly also spec., an oppidan at Eton College. LME.
Biology. A commensal organism. L19.
commensalism noun (Biology) an association between two species in which one benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefited (cf. SYMBIOSIS) L19.
commen'sality noun the habit of eating at the same table E17.