endemic

/ɛnˈdɛmɪk/

/ɛnˈdɛmɪk/

Other forms: endemically; endemics

If you want to underscore just how commonly found and present something is within a particular place, try the word endemic. The saguaro cactus is endemic, or native, to the American southwest — so watch out for its sharp spines when you're hiking in Arizona!

Although endemic meaning "prevalent" often describes a plant or disease, it can also refer to something less tangible and more unwanted such as violence or poverty. Many complain of endemic corruption in the local government. Despite its -ic ending, endemic can also be used as a noun to signify a plant or animal that is prevalent in a certain region. If an endemic is brought to another area which it takes over, destroying the local population, it's classified as an invasive species.

Definitions of endemic

1. adjective

   native to or confined to a certain region
   “the islands have a number of interesting endemic species”

   antonyms:

   cosmopolitan

   growing or occurring in many parts of the world
2. adjective

   originating where it is found
   “endemic folkways”

   synonyms: autochthonal, autochthonic, autochthonous, indigenous

   native

   characteristic of or existing by virtue of geographic origin
3. adjective

   of or relating to a disease (or anything resembling a disease) constantly present to greater or lesser extent in a particular locality
   “diseases endemic to the tropics”

   “endemic malaria”

   “food shortages and starvation are endemic in certain parts of the world”

   synonyms: endemical

   enzootic

   of a disease that is constantly present in an animal community but only occurs in a small number of cases

   antonyms:

   epidemic

   (especially of medicine) of disease or anything resembling a disease; attacking or affecting many individuals in a community or a population simultaneously

   ecdemic

   of or relating to a disease that originates outside the locality in which it occurs

   epiphytotic

   (of plants) epidemic among plants of a single kind especially over a wide area

   epizootic

   (of animals) epidemic among animals of a single kind within a particular region

   pandemic

   epidemic over a wide geographical area

   pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, plaguey

   likely to spread and cause an epidemic disease
4. noun

   a disease that is constantly present to a greater or lesser degree in people of a certain class or in people living in a particular location
   synonyms: endemic disease

   type of:

   disease

   an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning
5. noun

   a plant that is native to a certain limited area
   type of:

   flora, plant, plant life

   (botany) a living organism lacking the power of locomotion