commensalism.

An association in which one organism benefits while the other is not substantially helped or harmed.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• a commensal association
• evidence of commensalism

On the page

The study described the association as commensalism after comparing the host’s responses.

The fictional observer initially mistook commensalism for parasitism.

Usage notes

Primary category: sci-fi. Forms: Usually uncountable. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.