Endemic, in a broad sense, can mean belonging or native to, characteristic of, or prevalent in a particular geography, race, field, area, or environment; Native to an area or scope. For instance, AIDS is said to be endemic in Africa.

Endemic in biology and ecology means native to a place or biota, in contrast to any one of several terms meaning "not native" (e.g., adventive, alien, introduced, naturalized, non-native) and differentiated from indigenous. A species that is endemic is unique to that place or region, found naturally nowhere else. A species that is indigenous is native, but not unique because it is also native to other locations as well.