Definition: Living in the dwelling place of an animal of another species.
[@more@]Usage: Ants, usually thought to exemplify the Puritan work ethic, actually have quite a few instances of inquilinism (the noun) among species. Some inquiline queens kill the host queen and take over the nest while others spend their entire lives riding on the host queen's back! Today's noun is also an adjective: "The cuckoo is an inquiline bird that not only uses the nest of other species but the body of its owner to hatch its eggs." The behavior pattern denoted by today's word is "inquilinism" or "inquilinity."
Suggested Usage: Here's one to startle the neighbors: "A stray cat had the inquilinity to take up residence in our woodshed." You may also save it for the holidays: "Having two university students home for winter break is to surrender your abode to a pair of inquilines."
Etymology: From Latin inquilinus "tenant," which comes from in- + colere "to inhabit." The PIE root of colere is kwel- "to move around, sojourn, or dwell." We get the words "colony," "cult" and "culture" from the PIE root, all words that describe various types of human lifestyles.
来自 “ ITPUB博客 ” ，链接：https://blog.itpub.net/10312298/viewspace-925738/ ，如需转载，请注明出处，否则将追究法律责任。
