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phytophagous

American  
[fahy-tof-uh-guhs] / faɪˈtɒf ə gəs /

adjective

  1. herbivorous.


phytophagous British  
/ faɪˈtɒfədʒɪ, faɪˈtɒfəɡəs /

adjective

  1. (esp of insects) feeding on plants

"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

Other Word Forms

  • phytophagy noun

Etymology

Origin of phytophagous

First recorded in 1820–30; phyto- + -phagous

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.

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 group contains the phytophagous or herbivorous cetacea.

From Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon by Sterndale, Robert Armitage

Sagra, sā′gra, n. a genus of phytophagous beetles of brilliant colours.

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

Chlamys, klā′mis, n. an ancient Greek short cloak or mantle for men: a purple cope: a genus of phytophagous beetles.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D) by Various

The insects of this order in their larval condition are almost all phytophagous, and are very uniform both in structure and in habits.

From On the Origin and Metamorphoses of Insects by Lubbock, John, Sir