symbiont

noun

sym·​bi·​ont ˈsim-bē-ˌänt How to pronounce symbiont (audio)
: an organism living in symbiosis
especially : the smaller member of a symbiotic pair

Examples of symbiont in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Or consider the nuclear genes of the cells of advanced organisms (eukaryotes): At some early point in their evolution, these cells gained the help of the genes of a parasite or symbiont that became the mitochondrion, an organelle necessary for energy production. Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2019 Things seemed a touch downcast over at the FT’s Moral Money section, a generally reliable cheerleader for ESG (environmental, social, and governance investing) and its symbiont, stakeholder capitalism, on July 14. Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 25 July 2023 The extreme heat has triggered coral bleaching, where stressed corals expel their colorful algae symbionts, leaving them pale and vulnerable. NBC News, 16 July 2023 The work provides a speculative scenario that demonstrates how an autonomous A.I. system follows its own strategies for colonizing the architectural space and as an extension to become a human symbiont. IEEE Spectrum, 21 Aug. 2022 So rather than teaming up with a symbiont, why not cut out the middle-man and take its chloroplasts for yourself? Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 18 Sep. 2012 The spirochete lives permanently as a symbiont in the patient. Dick Teresi, Discover Magazine, 17 June 2011 When Shori takes on another male symbiont, Wright punches a hole in the wall. Lovia Gyarkye, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2022 Jenkins suspected that this stabilizing mechanism might involve the organisms’ RNA because his colleagues had noticed many regions of strong similarity between host and symbiont transcripts floating around in the cytoplasm. Quanta Magazine, 7 June 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'symbiont.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German Symbiont, probably altered (after Greek ont-, stem of ṓn, present participle of eînai "to be") from symbiount-, stem of symbiôn, present participle of symbioûn "to live together" — more at symbiosis

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of symbiont was in 1887

Dictionary Entries Near symbiont

Cite this Entry

“Symbiont.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symbiont. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

symbiont

noun
sym·​bi·​ont ˈsim-ˌbī-ˌänt How to pronounce symbiont (audio)
-bē-
: an individual living in symbiosis
especially : the smaller member of a symbiotic pair

Medical Definition

symbiont

noun
sym·​bi·​ont ˈsim-ˌbī-ˌänt How to pronounce symbiont (audio) -bē- How to pronounce symbiont (audio)
: an organism living in symbiosis
especially : the smaller member of a symbiotic pair

called also symbiote

symbiontic adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on symbiont

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!