adjective
obligate
Biologically restricted to a particular condition or way of life.
Cats are obligate carnivores and need nutrients found in meat.
Etymology
Latin obligare means to bind or place under obligation. Biology uses obligate for an organism bound to a particular condition or mode of life.
More examples
- These obligate anaerobes cannot grow in the presence of oxygen.
- An obligate parasite depends on a living host to survive.
- This fungus is an obligate symbiont and cannot survive alone.
Forms
obligate
Similar words
- obligatory
- More often describes something required by rules or circumstances.
- dependent
- Emphasizes reliance on something, not an exclusive biological requirement.