[1900–05; ‹ Gk psammo- (comb. form of psámmos sand) + -phyte]This word is first recorded in the period 1900–05. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: Young Turk, decompression, geopolitics, hydroplane, throwaway-phyte is a combining form meaning “plant,” used as the final element of compound words.Other words that use the affix -phyte include: cryophyte, epiphyte, phreatophyte, schizophyte, sporophyte