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definitions

saprobe

[sap-rohb]

noun Biology.

saprophyte.

Nearby words

  1. sapporo,
  2. sappy,
  3. sapraemia,
  4. sapremia,
  5. sapro-,
  6. saprobic,
  7. saprobiology,
  8. saprobiont,
  9. saprogen,
  10. saprogenic

Origin of saprobe

First recorded in 1932; sapro- + (micro)be
Related formssa·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 saprobic

saprobe

noun

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

saprobe

[săp′rōb′]

n.

An organism that derives its nourishment from nonliving or decaying organic matter.
Related formssap•ro′bi•al (să-prō′bē-əl) null adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.