Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

epiphyte

/ˈɛpɪfɑɪt/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.63 in modern English

Syllables: epi-phyte
IPA: /ˈɛpɪfɑɪt/

18

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A plant that grows on another, using it for physical support but obtaining no nutrients from it and neither causing damage nor offering benefit.

noun

A fungus that grows on a plant but does not feed upon it saprotrophically (an epiphytic fungus). (The science of detecting and studying any such symbiosis as may be involved in this relationship is still developing.)

Example Sentences

"It has been suggested to me that these fine plants will not prove cultivable, because they are epiphytes.[…]The probability however is, that they do not require to be treated as epiphytes, and that, like orchids, they will grow better if committed judiciously to the earth."
"The nature of the surface of a plant also determines the number and sort of Epiphytes which lodge on it."

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ἐπιφύτον (epiphúton, “one [plant] that grows upon another plant”), from ἐπί (epí, “on top of”) + φυτόν (phutón, “plant”), via epi- (“above, over”) + -phyte (“plant”).

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Prefix: epi
Root: ἐπιφύτον
Suffix: -phyte

Inflected Forms

epiphytes (plural)

Derived Forms

epiphytic epiphytal epiphytous epiphytism epiphytize epiphytotic hemiepiphyte holoepiphyte microepiphyte pseudoepiphyte semiepiphyte

Phrases

cistern epiphyte

Frequently Paired Words

epizoon lithophyte saprophyte

Synonyms

air plant aerophyte epiphytic plant

Questions

How do you pronounce epiphyte?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈɛpɪfɑɪt/.
What does epiphyte mean?: A plant that grows on another, using it for physical support but obtaining no nutrients from it and neither causing damage nor offering benefit.
Where does epiphyte come from?: It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce epiphyte

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