Word
carnivorous
Phoneticscar·niv·o·rous
US/kɑɹˈnɪvɝəs/
UK/kɑːnˈɪvəɹəs/
Definition
adj. describing plants that eat animals or other living things. These plants usually live in wet areas where the soil is poor and they need extra nutrients.
adj. relating to or characteristic of animals that feed on other animals. In a botanical context, describes plants that derive some or all of their nutritional requirements from consuming animal matter.
Examples
“The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant.”
“Carnivorous plants have evolved specialized structures like sticky secretions or snap traps to catch their prey.”
“While most plants rely on photosynthesis for energy, carnivorous species have adapted to nutrient-deficient environments by supplementing their diet with organic matter from small insects or mammals.”
Examples
simple
“The Venus flytrap is a carnivorous plant.”
contextual
“Carnivorous plants have evolved specialized structures like sticky secretions or snap traps to catch their prey.”
complex
“While most plants rely on photosynthesis for energy, carnivorous species have adapted to nutrient-deficient environments by supplementing their diet with organic matter from small insects or mammals.”
Real-World Examples
Common in science writing
“He even photographed a preserved young thylacine , a long-extinct carnivorous marsupial also known as the Tasmanian tiger .” “Other damaged bones may have been bitten by different predators or scavengers living in the region at the time, including other carnivorous dinosaurs and crocodilians.” “However, it also comprises complex ecosystems itself, filled with a high diversity of fauna, from microscopic bacteria to carnivorous mammals, which impact soil structure, function and chemical composition.” “For about a century, scientists have studied fossils from Ghost Ranch that include near-crocodiles, lizard relatives, fish, and dinosaurs (most prominently, the carnivorous Coelophysis bauri).” Etymology
From Latin carnivorus (“flesh-eating”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/carnivorous