autoecious

adjective

au·​toe·​cious ȯ-ˈtē-shəs How to pronounce autoecious (audio)
: passing through all life stages on the same host
autoecious rusts
autoeciously adverb
autoecism
ȯ-ˈtē-ˌsi-zəm How to pronounce autoecious (audio)
noun

Examples of autoecious in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
An alternate host is not needed for this autoecious rust. —oregonlive, 23 May 2021

Word History

Etymology

aut- + -oecious (as in dioecious, monoecious), after German autöcisch, autoecisch

Note: The German term, meaning etymologically "having the same abode" (Greek autós "self, same," oîkos "house, home" or oikía "dwelling, house" ), was introduced by the botanist Heinrich Anton de Bary (1831-88) in presentations made on his behalf to the Prussian Academy of Sciences ("Untersuchungen über die Uredineen, insbesondere die Entwicklung der Puccinia graminis und den Zusammenhang derselben mit Aecidium Berberidis," "12. Januar, Gesamtsitzung der Akademie") in Monatsberichte der Königlichen Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin, aus dem Jahre 1865, p. 32. Compare heteroecious.

First Known Use

circa 1877, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of autoecious was circa 1877

Browse Nearby Words

autodyne
autoecious
autoed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Autoecious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/autoecious. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.

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Medical Definition

autoecious

adjective
au·​toe·​cious
variants also autecious
ȯ-ˈtē-shəs How to pronounce autoecious (audio)
: passing through all life stages on the same host
autoecious rusts
autoecism
-ˈtē-ˌsiz-əm How to pronounce autoecious (audio)
noun
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