lignivorous

American  

[lig-niv-er-uhs] / lɪgˈnɪv ər əs /

adjective

1. xylophagous.

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lignivorous British  

/ lɪɡˈnɪvərəs /

adjective

1. (of animals) feeding on wood

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Etymology

Origin of lignivorous

First recorded in 1820–30; ligni- + -vorous

Example Sentences

"Having, for fifteen years," says the latter author, "incessantly studied the habits of lignivorous insects in one of the best wooded regions of France, I have observed facts enough to feel myself warranted in expressing my conclusions, which are: that insects in general—I am not speaking of those which confine their voracity to the leaf—do not attack trees in sound health, and they assail those only whose normal conditions and functions have been by some cause impaired."

From Project Gutenberg

Lignivorous: feeding upon wood or woody tissues.

From Project Gutenberg

"Having, for fifteen years," says the latter author, "incessantly studied the habits of lignivorous insects in one of the best wooded regions of France, I have observed facts enough to feel myself warranted in expressing my conclusions, which are: that insects in general—I am trees in sound health, and they assail those only whose normal conditions and functions have been by some cause impaired."

From Project Gutenberg

The felled timber attracts lignivorous insects, and these draw in their train the predaceous species of various families.

From Project Gutenberg