Words come and go and come back again. Symbiosis is one of those words.
Originally used in English in the 1620s to refer to communal or social life, symbiosis somewhat disappeared from English common usage for centuries. Then, in 1877 a scientist named Dr. Brandt used the word in reference to describing a mutually beneficial association in the vegetable kingdom. (If you REALLY want to know everything you can about the concept of symbiosis, read www.drbilllong.com/More2006/Symbiosis.html. Dr. Long has an interesting take on the Wikipedia blurb giving six categories of symbiosis.) The word came from Middle Latin, which took it from the Greek word with the same spelling. It meant “a living together” in contradistinction to parasitism. Technically, then, symbiosis refers to a living together that is not parasitic in nature. It does not have negative implications, but need not have positive ones (win-win) either, as I’ve seen it used.
Dr. Long makes reference to the word symbiont, which I’d not heard before; its definition is “an organism living in a state of symbiosis”. It’s a good word to add to your vocabulary.
Synergy has a more active meaning to it than symbiosis. It means “combined or cooperative action or force.” In 1660 the word synergy came to English through Modern Latin (synergia) from Greek (synergia, which means “joint work, assistance, help.”) This common word has a less-common theological relative, synergism, which is actually three years older. Synergism, which now has a meaning of “the simultaneous action of separate agencies which, together, have greater total effect than the sum of their individual effects” originally referred to a belief posited by Melanchthon (for those of you who care) that both man and God work together to achieve the regeneration of the soul. The regeneration of spiritual life is not too far off as an illustration of the current meaning where the effect is greater than the sum of the parts.
One of my favorite names is a homophone of this word: Cinergy was a company formed by the merger of two Cincinnati-area utilities, and the resultant name was greater than the sum of the two former names, Cincinnati Gas and Electric and PSI Energy. In 1996 they purchased the naming rights to what had been known as Riverfront Stadium (where the Reds and Bengals used to play), and named it Cinergy Field.
Coincidentally, the same year that the stadium was demolished Cinergy was acquired by Duke Energy. While I like the name Cinergy, the new Reds venue has a great name: Great American Ballpark (naming rights purchased by Great America amusement parks). If you have to grant naming rights, I can’t imagine a better one than that one.
So remember symbiosis and synergy on what may be the 40th anniversary (there are differing accounts) of the penning by Paul Stookey of the words:
Originally used in English in the 1620s to refer to communal or social life, symbiosis somewhat disappeared from English common usage for centuries. Then, in 1877 a scientist named Dr. Brandt used the word in reference to describing a mutually beneficial association in the vegetable kingdom. (If you REALLY want to know everything you can about the concept of symbiosis, read www.drbilllong.com/More2006/Symbiosis.html. Dr. Long has an interesting take on the Wikipedia blurb giving six categories of symbiosis.) The word came from Middle Latin, which took it from the Greek word with the same spelling. It meant “a living together” in contradistinction to parasitism. Technically, then, symbiosis refers to a living together that is not parasitic in nature. It does not have negative implications, but need not have positive ones (win-win) either, as I’ve seen it used.
Dr. Long makes reference to the word symbiont, which I’d not heard before; its definition is “an organism living in a state of symbiosis”. It’s a good word to add to your vocabulary.
Synergy has a more active meaning to it than symbiosis. It means “combined or cooperative action or force.” In 1660 the word synergy came to English through Modern Latin (synergia) from Greek (synergia, which means “joint work, assistance, help.”) This common word has a less-common theological relative, synergism, which is actually three years older. Synergism, which now has a meaning of “the simultaneous action of separate agencies which, together, have greater total effect than the sum of their individual effects” originally referred to a belief posited by Melanchthon (for those of you who care) that both man and God work together to achieve the regeneration of the soul. The regeneration of spiritual life is not too far off as an illustration of the current meaning where the effect is greater than the sum of the parts.
One of my favorite names is a homophone of this word: Cinergy was a company formed by the merger of two Cincinnati-area utilities, and the resultant name was greater than the sum of the two former names, Cincinnati Gas and Electric and PSI Energy. In 1996 they purchased the naming rights to what had been known as Riverfront Stadium (where the Reds and Bengals used to play), and named it Cinergy Field.
Coincidentally, the same year that the stadium was demolished Cinergy was acquired by Duke Energy. While I like the name Cinergy, the new Reds venue has a great name: Great American Ballpark (naming rights purchased by Great America amusement parks). If you have to grant naming rights, I can’t imagine a better one than that one.
So remember symbiosis and synergy on what may be the 40th anniversary (there are differing accounts) of the penning by Paul Stookey of the words:
The union of your spirits, here, has caused Him to remain
For wherever two or more of you are gathered in His name
There is love, there is love....
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