saprophyte

[ sap-ruh-fahyt ]

/ ˈsæp rəˌfaɪt /

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noun

any organism that lives on dead organic matter, as certain fungi and bacteria.

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Also called saprobe.

Origin of saprophyte

First recorded in 1870–75; sapro- + -phyte

OTHER WORDS FROM saprophyte

sap·ro·phyt·ic

[sap-ruh-fit-ik], /ˌsæp rəˈfɪt ɪk/, adjectivesap·ro·phyt·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby saprophyte

saprogen, saprogenic, saprolite, sapropel, saprophagous, saprophyte, saprotroph, saprozoic, SAPS, sapsago, sapsucker

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use saprophyte in a sentence

It is a parasite or saprophyte, and entirely destitute of chlorophyll, being pure white throughout.
Elements of Structural and Systematic Botany|Douglas Houghton Campbell

British Dictionary definitions for saprophyte

saprophyte

/ (ˈsæprəʊˌfaɪt) /

noun

any plant that lives and feeds on dead organic matter using mycorrhizal fungi associated with its roots; a saprotrophic plant

Derived forms of saprophyte

saprophytic (ˌsæprəʊˈfɪtɪk), adjectivesaprophytically, adverb

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

Scientific definitions for saprophyte

saprophyte

[ săp′rə-fīt′ ]

An organism, especially a fungus or bacterium, that lives on and gets its nourishment from dead organisms or decaying organic material. Saprophytes recycle organic material in the soil, breaking it down into in simpler compounds that can be taken up by other organisms.

Other words from saprophyte

saprophytic adjective (săp′rə-fĭt′ĭk)