phoreticadj.
/fəˈrɛtɪk/, U.S. /fəˈrɛdɪk/ Zoology.
Relating to or characterized by phoresy; (of an organism) carried on the body of another organism without being parasitic.
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the world > life > biology > balance of nature > relationships of organisms > [adjective] > other interrelationships
phoretic1932
syntrophic1950
amensal1952
1932 Ann. Entomol. Soc. Amer. 25 79 It is possible, as suggested by Banks (1915), that such young mites are phoretic, being carried about from place to place on the host's surfaces.
1965 B. E. Freeman tr. A. Vandel Biospeleol. xv. 248 The ciliates may be divided into internal parasites, and epizoic or phoretic types which do not live at the expense of their hosts.
2000 C. Tudge Variety of Life ii. xi. 320 In some cases the relationship is merely phoretic—the mites are merely hitching a lift—but in others the parasitiform is a true parasite.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1932