Nearby Words

decomposer

[dee-kuhm-poh-zer] Example Sentences Origin

de·com·pos·er

[dee-kuhm-poh-zer]
noun
1.
a person or thing that decomposes.
2.
Ecology. an organism, usually a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down the cells of dead plants and animals into simpler substances.

Origin:
1815–25; decompose + -er1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Decomposer is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
Example Sentences
  • Nutritional requirements of microbial decomposers are met by the contents of the debris and the soil.
  • They propose that a reduction in litter quality will result in nutrient limitations of decomposers.
  • Consequently nutrients may be immobilised in decomposer biomass.
Collins
World English Dictionary
decomposer (ˌdiːkəmˈpəʊzə)
 
n
ecology consumer See also producer any organism in a community, such as a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down dead tissue enabling the constituents to be recycled to the environment

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

decomposer
1833, "a decomposing agent," agent noun from decompose.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
decomposer   (dē'kəm-pō'zər)  Pronunciation Key 
See detritivore.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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