saprophytic

[sap-ruh-fahyt]

sap·ro·phyte

[sap-ruh-fahyt]
noun
any organism that lives on dead organic matter, as certain fungi and bacteria.
Also called saprobe.


Origin:
1870–75; sapro- + -phyte

sap·ro·phyt·ic [sap-ruh-fit-ik] , adjective
sap·ro·phyt·i·cal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Saprophytic is always a great word to know.
So is ort. Does it mean:
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
Collins
World English Dictionary
saprophyte (ˈsæprəʊˌfaɪt)
 
n
any plant that lives and feeds on dead organic matter using mycorrhizal fungi associated with its roots; a saprotrophic plant
 
saprophytic
 
adj
 
sapro'phytically
 
adv

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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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
saprophyte   (sāp'rə-fīt')  Pronunciation Key 
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.

saprophytic adjective (sāp'rə-fĭt'ĭk)
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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