saprobe

[ sap-rohb ]

/ ˈsæp roʊb /

noun Biology.

saprophyte.

Nearby words

sapporo, sappy, sapraemia, sapremia, sapro-, saprobe, saprobiology, saprobiont, saprogen, saprogenic, saprolite

Origin of saprobe

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

Related forms

sa·pro·bic

[suh-proh-bik, -prob-ik] /səˈproʊ bɪk, -ˈprɒb ɪk/, adjectivesa·pro·bi·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for saprobe

saprobe

/ (ˈsæprəʊb) /

noun

an organism, esp a fungus, that lives on decaying organisms; a saprotrophSee also saprophyte

Derived Forms

saprobic, adjective

Word Origin for saprobe

C20: from Greek, from sapro- + bios life

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

Medicine definitions for saprobe

saprobe

[ săp′rōb′ ]

n.

An organism that derives its nourishment from nonliving or decaying organic matter.

Related forms

sap•ro′bi•al (să-prō′bē-əl) null adj.