saprophyte

saprophyte
An organism that grows on dead organic matter, plant or animal. See saprobe. SYN: necroparasite. [sapro- + G. phyton, plant]
- facultative s. an organism, usually parasitic, that occasionally may live and grow as a s..

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sap·ro·phyte 'sap-rə-.fīt n a saprophytic organism esp a plant living on dead or decaying organic matter

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n.
any free-living organism that lives and feeds on the dead and putrefying tissues of animals or plants. Compare parasite.
saprophytic adj.

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sap·ro·phyte (sapґro-fīt) [sapro- + -phyte] an organism that lives on dead or decaying plant or animal material; said especially of plants or so-called plantlike organisms, such as certain protozoa and bacteria. Fungi with this characteristic are called saprobes. See also autophyte and saprozoic.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • saprophyte — [ saprɔfit ] adj. et n. m. • 1875; de sapro et phyte 1 ♦ Biol. Qui tire les substances qui lui sont nécessaires des matières organiques en décomposition. Champignons saprophytes. 2 ♦ Méd. Germe saprophyte, qui vit dans l organisme sans être… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Saprophyte — Sap ro*phyte, n. [Gr. sapro s rotten + fyto n a plant.] (Bot.) Any plant growing on decayed animal or vegetable matter, as most fungi and some flowering plants with no green color, as the Indian pipe. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • saprophyte — 1875, from Gk. sapros “putrid” + phyton “plant” (see PHYTO (Cf. phyto )) …   Etymology dictionary

  • saprophyte — ► NOUN Biology ▪ a plant, fungus, or micro organism that lives on decaying matter. DERIVATIVES saprophytic adjective. ORIGIN from Greek sapros putrid + phuton plant …   English terms dictionary

  • saprophyte — [sap′rə fīt΄] n. [ SAPRO + PHYTE] any organism that lives on dead or decaying organic matter, as some fungi and bacteria saprophytic [sap′rəfit′ik] adj …   English World dictionary

  • Saprophyte — Un organisme est dit saprophyte (σαπρός sapros: décomposé, φῠτόν phuton: plante) s il est capable de se nourrir de matière organique non vivante par l intermédiaire d une membrane, suite à une réaction enzymatique libérant les nutriments présents …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Saprophyte (médecine) — Saprophyte Un organisme est dit saprophyte (σαπρός pourri, φῠτό plante) s il est capable de se nourrir de matière organique en décomposition. En biologie, les êtres vivants qui se nourrissent activement (ingestion et non absorption) de matières… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • saprophyte — noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary Date: 1870 a saprophytic organism …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • saprophyte — n. [Gr. sapros, rotten; phyton, plant] A plant that lives on dead and decaying organic matter; sometimes incorrectly extended to include animals as well as plants …   Dictionary of invertebrate zoology

  • saprophyte — (sap ro fit) An organism that takes up nonliving organic nutrients in dissolved form and usually grows on decomposing organic matter …   Dictionary of microbiology

  • saprophyte — Organism that feeds on complex organic materials, often the dead and decaying bodies of other organisms. Many fungi are saprophytic …   Dictionary of molecular biology

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