Go to 'thermo-' entry Go to 'dino-' entry Go to 'chondro-' entry Go to 'aero-' entry Go to '-logy' entry Go to 'thaumato-' entry Go to 'nano-' entry Go to '-sophy' entry Go to 'bucco-' entry Go to '-ism' entry Go to '-lysis' entry Go to 'galacto-' entry Go to '-anthropy' entry Go to 'pneumo-' entry Go to '-ploitation' entry Go to '-lithic' entry Go to '-sepalous' entry Go to 'onco-' entry Go to '-parous' entry Go to 'dermato-' entry Go to 'multi-' entry Go to 'dodeca-' entry Go to '-zoon' entry Go to 'vermi-' entry Go to 'crystallo-' entry Go to 'biblio-' entry Go to 'eco-' entry Go to 'juxta-' entry Go to 'facio-' entry
Affixes: the building blocks of English
Affixes: the building blocks of English
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sapro-

Putrefaction or decay.

[Greek sapros, putrid.]

A saprophyte (Greek phuton, a plant) is an organism that lives on dead or decaying organic matter; the term is a general one which can refer also to fungi and microorganisms; as these last two groups are not plants, some specialists prefer saprobe (Greek bios, life) for them; a saprophagous organism feeds on decaying organic matter; one that is saproxylic (Greek xulon, wood) lives on dead or decaying wood; sapropel (Greek pēlos, mud, earth, clay) is sediment laid down in stagnant water; something saprogenic is caused or produced by putrefaction or decay.

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