granivorous

American  

[gruh-niv-er-uhs] / grəˈnɪv ər əs /

adjective

1. (of an animal, especially a bird) eating grain and seeds.

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granivorous British  

/ ˈɡrænɪˌvɔː, ɡræˈnɪvərəs /

adjective

1. (of animals) feeding on seeds and grain

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Other Word Forms

• granivore noun

Etymology

Origin of granivorous

First recorded in 1640–50; grani- ( def. ) + -vorous ( def. )

Example Sentences

Adj. eatable, edible, esculent†, comestible, alimentary; cereal, cibarious†; dietetic; culinary; nutritive, nutritious; gastric; succulent; potable, potulent†; bibulous. omnivorous, carnivorous, herbivorous, granivorous, graminivorous, phytivorous; ichthyivorous; omophagic, omophagous; pantophagous, phytophagous, xylophagous.

From Roget's Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases by Roget, Peter Mark

This is a general practice with the granivorous tribes, in order to provide their young with soft and digestible food before they are strong enough to digest the hard, coriaceous seed.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 03, No. 17, March, 1859 by Various

All creation, nearly, preys on some other part of creation—except that respectable number that are granivorous, and herbivorous, and graminivorous.'

From A Red Wallflower by Warner, Susan

Seed′-drill, a machine for sowing seed in rows; Seed′-eat′er, a granivorous bird.—adj.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various

They are usually granivorous, though some are insectivorous; and one species, the “red-billed weaver bird” is a parasite of the wild buffaloes.

From Popular Adventure Tales by Reid, Mayne