herbivore

[hur-buh-vawr, -vohr]

noun

1. a herbivorous animal.

herbivore

/ ˈhɜːbɪˌvɔː /

noun

1. an animal that feeds on grass and other plants

2. informal,  a liberal, idealistic, or nonmaterialistic person

herbivore

1. An animal that feeds mainly or only on plants. In a food chain, herbivores are primary consumers.

2. Compare carnivore detritivore

herbivore

1. A living thing that eats only plants. Cattle, sheep, and horses are herbivores.

Word History and Origins

Origin of herbivore¹

1850–55; < New Latin herbivorus; herb, -i-, -vore

Word History and Origins

Origin of herbivore¹

C19: from New Latin herbivora grass-eaters

Example Sentences

Their plans include bringing in large herbivores including ponies, hardy cattle and eventually even bison to graze the land naturally, and there are hopes pine martens, beavers and golden eagles could recolonise the landscape.

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My wife, an amateur mycologist, had been invited along with some friends to present their findings on the microscopic fungi that grow on the dung of herbivores like deer and rabbits.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The herbivores’ insatiable appetite for vegetation and weeds is particularly helpful in steep, hard-to-reach areas where machines are unable to clear brush.

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The medium-sized herbivore once roamed the floodplains of what is now the island's south-west coast.

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The Edmontosaurus, another herbivore, roamed the forests like the Pachyrhinosaurus - and is helping palaeontologists build up a picture of this ancient land.

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Related Words

• fruitarian 
• vegan 
• vegetarian