Endemic
/ɛnˈdɛmɪk/
adjectiveC1
Definition
Endemic means that something exists naturally and regularly in a certain area or among a certain group of people or animals. It often refers to diseases or plants and animals that are only found in one place and nowhere else. It shows that the thing is native and usual in that location.
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See It in Action
Regularly found in a particular place or group (often about diseases or animals/plants)
- •Malaria is endemic in many tropical countries.
- •The lemur is endemic to Madagascar.
- •Some plants are endemic to the mountains and do not grow anywhere else.
Naturally belonging to a specific location or environment
- •The culture has endemic customs that outsiders find interesting.
- •Endemic species often need special protection because they live only in one area.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "endemic" like "local" (A1 word), but more specific—it means something lives or happens only in one place, not everywhere.
- ✓Picture a special flower growing only on one island and nowhere else in the world.
- ✓It’s the feeling of knowing something belongs to a place, like a local tradition or animal you see only there.
- ✓Sounds like "in-DEH-mik" → Imagine "in" + "demic" (like 'demic' in 'pandemic') but here it means inside one place only.
- ✓Think of the koala, which is endemic to Australia—it lives only there, not in other countries.
- ✓NOT like "pandemic" (which means a disease spreads everywhere), "endemic" means it stays in one place.
- ✓NOT like "epidemic" (which means a disease spreads widely but not worldwide), "endemic" is always present but limited to one area.
- ✓NOT like "foreign" (from outside), endemic means native or natural to that place.
Try Other Words
- •Native: naturally found in a place (Use when emphasizing origin or birth in a place)
- •Indigenous: belonging naturally to a place (Use in formal contexts about people, animals, or plants)
- •Restricted: limited to a certain area (Use when focusing on limits or boundaries)
- •Local: belonging to a place or area (Use for general, everyday situations)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "en-" (in, within) + "demic" (from Greek "demos" meaning people or population)
- •Etymology: From Greek "endēmos," meaning "native" or "dwelling in a population"
- •Historical development: Originally used to describe diseases or conditions regularly found in one area
- •Modern usage: Used mostly in biology and medicine to describe species or diseases that exist only in a certain place
Reflect & Connect
•How does knowing a disease is endemic help doctors and governments plan health care?
•Can cultural habits be endemic to a place like animals or plants? How does this affect people’s identity?
Fill in the blanks
1.Malaria is endemic in some countries because the climate and environment ___ its spread.
2.When a species is endemic, it usually means it ___ to that specific area and nowhere else.
3.Unlike a pandemic, an endemic disease is ___ present but limited to one place.
4.The koala is endemic ___ Australia, so you won’t find it naturally in other countries.
5.Endemic problems in a region often require ___ local solutions and attention.
6.Some plants are endemic ___ mountain regions, meaning they cannot grow in flat areas.
7.Knowing a disease is endemic helps health workers ___ resources where they are needed most.