endemic Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a disease that is constantly present to a greater or lesser degree in people of a certain class or in people living in a particular location
    endemic disease.
  2. noun a plant that is native to a certain limited area
    • it is an endemic found only this island
  3. adjective of or relating to a disease (or anything resembling a disease) constantly present to greater or lesser extent in a particular locality
    endemical.
    • diseases endemic to the tropics
    • endemic malaria
    • food shortages and starvation are endemic in certain parts of the world
  4. adjective native to or confined to a certain region
    • the islands have a number of interesting endemic species
  5. adjective satellite originating where it is found
    autochthonal; indigenous; autochthonous; autochthonic.
    • the autochthonal fauna of Australia includes the kangaroo
    • autochthonous rocks and people and folktales
    • endemic folkways
    • the Ainu are indigenous to the northernmost islands of Japan

WordNet

En*de"mic, En*de"mic*al adjective (Also<
  • Endemic
  • Endemical
)
Etymology
Gr. , + the people: cf. F. endémique.
Definitions
  1. (Med.) Peculiar to a district or particular locality, or class of persons; as, an endemic disease. ✍ An endemic disease is one which is constantly present to a greater or less degree in any place, as distinguished from an epidemic disease, which prevails widely at some one time, or periodically, and from a sporadic disease, of which a few instances occur now and then.
En*dem"ic noun
Definitions
  1. (Med.) An endemic disease.
    Fear, which is an endemic latent in every human heart, sometimes rises into an epidemic. J. B. Heard.

Webster 1913