(of plants, such as mistletoe) obtaining some food from a host but undergoing photosynthesis at the same time
2.
(of bacteria or fungi) usually parasitic but capable of living as a saprotroph
Derived forms
semiparasite (ˌsɛmɪˈpærəsaɪt)
noun
semiparasitism (ˌsɛmɪˈpærəsɪˌtɪzəm)
noun
semiparasitic in American English
(ˌsemiˌpærəˈsɪtɪk, ˌsemai-)
adjective
1. Biology
commonly parasitic but also capable of living on dead or decaying animal matter
2. Botany
partly parasitic and partly photosynthetic
Derived forms
semiparasite (ˌsemiˈpærəˌsait, ˌsemai-)
noun
semiparasitism (ˌsemiˈpærəˌsaitɪzəm, ˌsemai-)
noun
Word origin
[1875–80; semi- + parasitic]This word is first recorded in the period 1875–80. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Diaspora, authoritarian, graph, neoclassic, weekendsemi- is a combining form borrowed from Latin, meaning “half,” freely prefixed to Englishwords of any origin, now sometimes with the senses “partially,” “incompletely,” “somewhat”.Other words that use the affix semi- include: semiautomatic, semidetached, semimonthly, semisophisticated