frugivorous
Americanadjective
adjective
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Etymology
Origin of frugivorous
First recorded in 1705–15; from Latin frūgi-, combining form of frūx “fruit, crops, produce” + combining form -vorus “devouring”; frugal ( def. ), -vorous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As humans fragment the forests — that is, break large forests into smaller patches through construction and other environmentally destructive practices — the scientists learned that they restrict the movement of important frugivorous birds.
From Salon
But how does the waxwing, among the most frugivorous of birds, know the crop is ready?
From Seattle Times
Despite their reputation as ferocious predators, which they certainly could be, they were normally “frugivorous and insectivorous,” as Roosevelt put it in The Times.
From Los Angeles Times
Nine years ago, Simon Ripperger was studying frugivorous — that is, fruit-eating — bats in Costa Rica.
From Washington Post
Fruits use aromatic oils and alcohols to deter the growth of bacteria and attract seed-dispersing frugivorous animals.
From New York Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.