Medical Dictionary
colonize
verb col·o·nize \ˈkäl-ə-ˌnīz\
col·o·nizedcol·o·niz·ing
Medical Definition of COLONIZE
transitive verb
1
: to establish a colony in or on <the parasitic roundworms…have succeeded in colonizing a great variety of hosts—W. H. Dowdeswell>
2
: to isolate in supervised groups
intransitive verb
of microorganisms : to become established in a habitat (as a host or a wound) <these bacteria in turn colonize in other parts of the body—R. A. Runnells>
—col·o·ni·za·tion \ˌkäl-ə-nə-ˈzā-shən\ noun
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