heteroecism

het·er·oe·cious

 (hĕt′ə-rē′shəs)

adj.

Spending different stages of the life cycle on different, usually unrelated hosts. Used of parasites.

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[hetero- + Greek oikiā, house; see weik- in Indo-European roots + -ous.]

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het′er·oe′cism (-sĭz′əm) n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

het•er•oe•cism

(ˌhɛt əˈri sɪz əm)

n.

the development of different stages of a parasitic species on different host plants.

[1870–75; heter- + Greek oik(ía) house + -ism]

het`er•oe′cious (-ʃəs) adj.

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