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saprophyte

/ˈsæpɹəʊfaɪt/ noun

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about saprophyte at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. An organism that feeds on dead organic matter especially a fungus or bacterium.

Origin

From sapro- (“putrid matter”) + -phyte (“plant, growth”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)