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saprophagous

American  
[sa-prof-uh-guhs] / sæˈprɒf ə gəs /

adjective

Biology.

  1. (of an organism) feeding on dead or decaying animal matter.

saprophagous British  
/ sæˈprɒfəɡəs /

adjective

  1. (of certain animals) feeding on dead or decaying organic matter

"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

Etymology

Origin of saprophagous

First recorded in 1810–20; sapro- + -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.

Saproph′agan, one of the saprophagous beetles.

From Project Gutenberg

Saprophagous, sap-rof′a-gus, adj. feeding on decaying matter.—n.

From Project Gutenberg

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.