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evapotranspiration

[ ih-vap-oh-tran-spuh-rey-shuhn ]
/ ɪˌvæp oʊˌtræn spəˈreɪ ʃən /
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noun Meteorology.
the process of transferring moisture from the earth to the atmosphere by evaporation of water and transpiration from plants.
Also called flyoff, water loss. the total volume transferred by this process.
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Origin of evapotranspiration

First recorded in 1945–50; evapo(ration) + transpiration

Words nearby evapotranspiration

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

MORE ABOUT TRANSPIRATION

What is evapotranspiration?

Evapotranspiration is the process of moisture moving from the earth to the atmosphere through water evaporation and plant transpiration. 

Evapotranspiration refers to the moving of water and moisture from the soil and plants to the atmosphere. Evaporation is water in the soil surface becoming vapor as the result of temperature and other factors. The hotter it is, for example, the more water that will evaporate.

Transpiration is a plant releasing water as vapor through its leaves. Transpiration helps a plant regulate its internal temperature. Corn, a crop grown in much of the Midwestern United States, is well known for transpiring to regulate its internal temperature, for example.

Because water moves to the atmosphere from a wide variety of sources, the term evapotranspiration is sometimes used broadly to describe any evaporation or movement of water from the earth to the atmosphere, even from sources other than plants and soil. 

Example: Evapotranspiration is a vital part of all major rainforest ecosystems.

Where does evapotranspiration come from?

The first records of the term evapotranspiration come from around the 1940s. It combines the term evaporation, meaning “the act of turning a liquid or solid into a vapor,” and transpiration, meaning “the act of emitting watery vapor.” Evapotranspiration is both evaporation and transpiration.

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What are some synonyms for evapotranspiration?

What are some words that share a root or word element with evapotranspiration

What are some words that often get used in discussing evapotranspiration?

How is evapotranspiration used in real life?

Evapotranspiration is most commonly used in the contexts of environmental sciences and industries that rely on irrigation, such as agriculture.

 

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Evapotranspiration is sometimes used to describe any evaporation of water into the atmosphere.

How to use evapotranspiration in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for evapotranspiration

evapotranspiration
/ (ɪˌvæpəʊˌtrænspəˈreɪʃən) /

noun
the return of water vapour to the atmosphere by evaporation from land and water surfaces and by the transpiration of vegetation
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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