Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

saprobe

American  
[sap-rohb] / ˈsæp roʊb /

noun

Biology.

  1. saprophyte.

saprobe British  
/ ˈsæprəʊb /

noun

  1. an organism, esp a fungus, that lives on decaying organisms; a saprotroph See also saprophyte

"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

  • saprobic adjective
  • saprobically adverb

Etymology

Origin of saprobe

First recorded in 1932; sapro- + (micro)be

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.

Indeed, without saprobe species, such as protists, fungi, and bacteria, life would cease to exist as all organic carbon became “tied up” in dead organisms.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.