heteroecious

adjective

het·​er·​oe·​cious ˌhe-tə-ˈrē-shəs How to pronounce heteroecious (audio)
: passing through the different stages in the life cycle on alternate and often unrelated hosts
heteroecious aphids
heteroecism
ˌhe-tə-ˈrē-ˌsi-zəm How to pronounce heteroecious (audio)
noun

Word History

Etymology

heter- + -oecious (as in dioecious, monoecious), after German heteröcisch

Note: The German term, meaning etymologically "having a different abode" (Greek héteros "of another kind, different," oîkos "house, home" or oikía "dwelling, house"), was introduced by the botanist Heinrich Anton de Bary (1831-88) in presentations made on his behalf to the Prussian Academy of Sciences ("Untersuchungen über die Uredineen, insbesondere die Entwicklung der Puccinia graminis und den Zusammenhang derselben mit Aecidium Berberidis," "12. Januar, Gesamtsitzung der Akademie") in Monatsberichte der Königlichen Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, aus dem Jahre 1865, p. 32. Compare autoecious.

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heteroecious was in 1882

Dictionary Entries Near heteroecious

heterodyne

heteroecious

heteroecismal

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Heteroecious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heteroecious. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

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Medical Definition

heteroecious

adjective
het·​er·​oe·​cious ˌhet-ə-ˈrē-shəs How to pronounce heteroecious (audio)
: passing through the different stages in the life cycle on alternate and often unrelated hosts
heteroecious insects
heteroecism
-ˈrē-ˌsiz-əm How to pronounce heteroecious (audio)
noun
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