saprophyte
[sap-ruh-fahyt]
- any organism that lives on dead organic matter, as certain fungi and bacteria.
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Origin of saprophyte
Also called saprobe.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for saprophyte
Historical Examples
It is a parasite or saprophyte, and entirely destitute of chlorophyll, being pure white throughout.
Elements of Structural and Systematic BotanyDouglas Houghton Campbell
saprophyte
- any plant that lives and feeds on dead organic matter using mycorrhizal fungi associated with its roots; a saprotrophic plant
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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
Word Origin and History for saprophyte
n.
"bacteria or fungus that grows on decaying organic matter," 1867, from French, from Greek sapros "putrid" + phyton "plant" (see phyto-). Related: Saprophytism.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
saprophyte
(săp′rə-fīt′)- An organism, especially a fungus or bacterium, that grows on and derives its nourishment from dead or decaying organic matter.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.