Pronunciation: sim- ' pa-trik
Function: adjective
Etymology: syn- + Greek patra fatherland, from pat ē r father ― more at FATHER
Date: circa 1904
1 : occurring in the same area
2 : occupying the same geographical range without loss of identity from interbreeding < sympatric species> also : occurring between populations that are not geographically separated < sympatric speciation> ― compare ALLOPATRIC
– sym · pat · ri · cal · ly \ -tri-k( ə -)l ē \ adverb
– sym · pat · ry \ ' sim- ˌ pa-tr ē \ noun