ENGLISH
REFERENCE

endemic

adj.
C1 Advanced US //ɛnˈdɛmɪk// UK //ɛndˈɛmɪk// en·dem·ic

adj. describes a disease or a problem that is always present in a specific place or group of people. It is something that belongs naturally to a certain area.

adj. prevalent in or peculiar to a particular locality, region, or population. Often used to describe diseases that persist at a baseline level within a geographic area without external input.


SIMPLE

Malaria is endemic in many tropical regions.

CONTEXTUAL

The health department monitors endemic diseases to ensure they do not spike into full-scale outbreaks.

COMPLEX

Corruption had become so endemic within the local administration that even minor permits required illicit payments to process.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Ancient Greek ἐν (en, “in”) + δῆμος (dêmos, “people”). Possibly via ἔνδημος (éndēmos, “among one's people, at home, native”) and/or French endémique. By surface analysis, en- + demic.

Usage

Often used predicatively after 'be' or 'become'; frequently takes the preposition 'to' when identifying the specific region or group.

Pitfall

the disease is endemic of the regionthe disease is endemic to the regionWhen specifying the location or group affected, the adjective takes the preposition 'to', not 'of'.

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