endemic

[en-dem-ik] /ɛnˈdɛm ɪk/
adjective, Also, endemical
1.
natural to or characteristic of a specific people or place; native; indigenous:
endemic folkways; countries where high unemployment is endemic.
2.
belonging exclusively or confined to a particular place:
a fever endemic to the tropics.
noun
3.
an endemic disease.
Origin
1655-65; < Neo-Latin endēmicus, equivalent to Greek éndēm(os) endemic (en- en-2 + dêm(os) people + -os adj. suffix) + Latin -icus -ic
Related forms
endemically, adverb
endemism
[en-duh-miz-uh m] /ˈɛn dəˌmɪz əm/ (Show IPA), endemicity
[en-duh-mis-i-tee] /ˌɛn dəˈmɪs ɪ ti/ (Show IPA), noun
nonendemic, adjective
unendemic, adjective
Can be confused
endemic, epidemic, pandemic.
Examples from the web for endemic
  • But no, there are no endemic native rodent species there.
  • Some of the endemic species are new to science.
  • Hunting and habitat loss have caused this endemic bird to become endangered.
  • Corruption has become so endemic that it is perceived as normal.
  • Bird flu is now endemic in Asia.
  • Eighty-five percent of fish species here are endemic.
  • This mountainous ecoregion is host to a number of endemic species.
  • Diseases tend to evolve from an epidemic to an endemic state.
  • The new government's priorities include furthering development, creating jobs, and stamping out endemic corruption.
  • Malnutrition and disease are endemic, and in bad years there is famine.
British Dictionary definitions for endemic

endemic

/ɛnˈdɛmɪk/
adjective
1.
present within a localized area or peculiar to persons in such an area
noun
2.
an endemic disease or plant
Derived Forms
endemically, adverb
endemism, endemicity, noun
Word Origin
C18: from New Latin endēmicus, from Greek endēmos native, from en-² + dēmos the people
Word Origin and History for endemic
n.

1660s, from Greek endemos "native, dwelling in (a place), of or belonging to a people" (from en "in;" see en- (2) + demos "people, district;" see demotic) + -ic. From 1759 as an adjective. Endemical is attested from 1650s.

endemic in Medicine

endemic en·dem·ic (ěn-děm'ĭk)
adj.

  1. Prevalent in or restricted to a particular region, community, or group of people. Used of a disease.

  2. Enzootic.

en·dem'i·cal·ly adv.
en·dem'ism n.
endemic in Science
endemic
(ěn-děm'ĭk)

  1. Relating to a disease or pathogen that is found in or confined to a particular location, region, or people. Malaria, for example, is endemic to tropical regions. See also epidemic, pandemic.

  2. Native to a specific region or environment and not occurring naturally anywhere else. The giant sequoia is endemic to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. Compare alien, indigenous.


Our Living Language : A disease that occurs regularly in a particular area, as malaria does in many tropical countries, is said to be endemic. The word endemic, built from the prefix en-, "in or within," and the Greek word demos, "people," means "within the people (of a region)." A disease that affects many more people than usual in a particular area or that spreads into regions in which it does not usually occur is said to be epidemic. This word, built from the prefix epi-, meaning "upon," and demos, means "upon the people." In order for a disease to become epidemic it must be highly contagious, that is, easily spread through a population. Influenza has been the cause of many epidemics throughout history. Epidemics of waterborne diseases such as cholera often occur after natural disasters such as earthquakes and severe storms that disrupt or destroy sanitation systems and supplies of fresh water.