The term "hosting"

MikeinToronto

MikeinToronto

Member
I have been reading through many of the threads on this board trying to catch up since I haven't been here in a long time. I do have a pet peeve and I wanted to share it.

The word "host" when referring to the anemone-clown relationship is used to describe the anemone, not the clown. The clown is not the host and it is not "hosting" the anemone. I.e.: Clowns do not "host in" anemones and the anemone does not have "hosts". The anemone is actually the host which is why they are called "host anemones". The anemone is hosting the clown. The clown would be a "guest" in the anemone. So a clown would be "guesting" the anemone (if that were a word).

My peeve might sound trivial but the word is misused so often I just wanted to say something. Proper terminology makes things much easier to understand in an all ready confusing hobby.

I think I would probably be offended if I invited you to stay at my home and you told me you were hosting me ;)
 
goldenmean

goldenmean

Well-Known Member
The clown feeds and protects the anemone so Host is not a very accurate word either. A good host would never ask his guest to bring food. lol.
It truly is a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship.
 
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MikeinToronto

MikeinToronto

Member
cheeks69 said:
Well how bout the clowns are "hosted" ?
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That's the correct use.

goldenmean said:
The clown feeds and protects the anemone so Host is not a very accurate word either. A good host would never ask his guest to bring food. lol.
It truly is a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship.
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Regardless of the relationship, if an organism has another living in or on it, it is the host. For example, symbiotic algae are hosted by corals even through the relationship is mutual. It would sound weird if we starting saying, "My coral is hosted by its zooxanthellae."

The misuse is a total internet phenomenon. You will not find it in any literature :doh:
 
goldenmean

goldenmean

Well-Known Member
The misuse is a total internet phenomenon. You will not find it in any literature
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I completely understand and agree with what you are saying.

However I believe that words evolve. Words used in the US do not necessarily mean the same thing as the exact same word in England or even how that word was used in the past. This evolution of words is no doubt sped up by the internet. Not very long ago "google" was not a word. As you all know it started as a noun - a name of a company. Today it is used as a verb too. When I read your first post I googled the word, "symbiotic." The first result of the google search (now it is an adjective) was this wikipedia page, Symbiosis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Perhaps in 10 to 20 years marine biologist and aquariasts will no longer use the word Host to describe the anemone and clown fish relationship but rather a form of the word mutualism will be used.
 
Witfull

Witfull

Well-Known Member
usage of symbiosis is correct...but not fitting this. the anemone is the host. the clown is the symbiant. anemones can live without the clown, very easily. the clown can live on its own. but the clown has adapted to live within the anemone for protection. many fish lay eggs near anemones for this same reason. the anemone doesnt benefit much. infact the opposite is true. if an anemone has symbiant clowns they chase other fish away, which would otherwise be potential prey for the anemone. its been said that clowns feed their host, yes, but they also steal food from it.

the host/hosted misusage irks me as well. those that have been in the hobby know the proper usage of terms, its newbies that make the mistake of misusing terms. we should kindly tell them the difference to guide them. but for those that have been around to ignore proper terminology and say "hey, they know what i mean" is wrong. dont say "they know what i mean," say what you mean....because they may not.
 
MikeinToronto

MikeinToronto

Member
goldenmean said:
I completely understand and agree with what you are saying.

However I believe that words evolve. Words used in the US do not necessarily mean the same thing as the exact same word in England or even how that word was used in the past. This evolution of words is no doubt sped up by the internet. Not very long ago "google" was not a word. As you all know it started as a noun - a name of a company. Today it is used as a verb too. When I read your first post I googled the word, "symbiotic." The first result of the google search (now it is an adjective) was this wikipedia page, Symbiosis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Perhaps in 10 to 20 years marine biologist and aquariasts will no longer use the word Host to describe the anemone and clown fish relationship but rather a form of the word mutualism will be used.
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I understand your point but this goes a little deeper than word evolution. It is an obvious misuse. As Witful has stated, it is a term that is not usually misused by long-term hobbyists or biologists. It is an internet/forum flub that is propagated by other (dare I say) non-experts on internet forums.

There is another word that bothers me when it is misused. It is the plural of fish. But in this case, evolution has given us a preference of one form over another, even though, linguistically, it is wrong in certain situations.

Now I'm not claiming I'm an expert on symbiosis, linguistics, or anything else, but in this case it is a matter of using the opposite (wrong) word to describe one member of the relationship.
 
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JFK_Jr

JFK_Jr

Well-Known Member
PREMIUM
jupiter said:
It is a blatant misuse. As Witful has stated, it is a term that is not usually misused by long-term hobbyists or biologists. It is an internet/forum flub that is propagated by other (dare I say) non-experts on internet forums.

There is another word that bothers me when it is misused. It is the plural of fish. But in this case, evolution has given us a preference of one form over another, even though, linguistically, it is wrong in certain situations.
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Blatant???

The meaning of blatant:
noisy especially in a vulgar or offensive manner : clamorous
completely obvious, conspicuous, or obtrusive especially in a crass or offensive manner.

Not everyone on this forum is a long-term hobbyist or biologist. I don't think anyone on here is intentionally misusing the term in a blatant manner. You are correct in what you are saying, but the way you keep going on about it is making you come off as...well... a little arrogant.

We all were newbies at one time or another, and yes... even long-term hobbyists and biologists had to learn the proper use of the term at one point in their life. :hallo:
 
MikeinToronto

MikeinToronto

Member
JFK_Jr said:
Blatant???

The meaning of blatant:
noisy especially in a vulgar or offensive manner : clamorous
completely obvious, conspicuous, or obtrusive especially in a crass or offensive manner.

Not everyone on this forum is a long-term hobbyist or biologist. I don't think anyone on here is intentionally misusing the term in a blatant manner. You are correct in what you are saying, but the way you keep going on about it is making you come off as...well... a little arrogant.

We all were newbies at one time or another, and yes... even long-term hobbyists and biologists had to learn the proper use of the term at one point in their life. :hallo:
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1) Yikes! I actually did notice I used the wrong word and I meant to remove it before posting. I will correct it now :doh: .
2) I am arrogant and don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise.
 
prow

prow

Well-Known Member
lol, the never ending arguement. its all semantics. its like controlling your Ca or alk~that is not what is happening. we are really just making a decision on what we are using to control the ph. semantics, say it how you will, either hosting or hosted by whatever, the important thing is you get it.
 
Witfull

Witfull

Well-Known Member
its not semantics. its proper usage of terms. plain and simple. as i said, whan someone uses it wrongly, guide them to the correct usage.

semantics is "guns kill people",,,theoretically,,,they dont. bullets do. but without the gun, bullets are pretty much harmless.
 
prow

prow

Well-Known Member
well if you want use the term host. are not all the fish and animals in the tank a host, after all they all live in the same tank, right??? so if you want to talk about the correct meanings saying the clown is the host is really not wrong. my clown were in the tank before i got my anemone, so my clown are hosting the anemone. it was the clowns home first:)

so yes it is semantics, you just want to use one definition. one definition is as a noun; A very large number of things grouped together. that is a pretty broad def and can apply.
 
prow

prow

Well-Known Member
i am the host:) i can also invite a speaker over to host a party at my house. so whos the host me or the speaker???
 
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