endemic

Definition

Native to a particular area or culture; originating where it occurs.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἐν (en, “in”) + δῆμος (dêmos, “people”). Possibly via ἔνδημος (éndēmos, “among one's people, at home, native”) and/or French endémique. By surface analysis, en- + demic.

Example Sentences

• "The endemic religion of Easter Island arrived with the Polynesian settlers."
• "Kangaroos are endemic to Australia."
• "[…] a continental northern Alaskan element, including a series of endemic species and disjuncts that have survived the Pleistocene glaciation in northern Alaska and thus represent relicts of the much warmer Tertiary […]"

Related Words