sapro- or before a vowel sapr- /sap-r(ō)-, -r(ə)- or -r(o)-/

1. Denoting: rotten or decaying matter
2. Putrefaction

sapraemia /sap-rēˈmi-ə/ noun

(Gr haima blood) blood poisoning resulting from the presence of toxins of saprophytic bacteria in the blood

sapraeˈmic adjective

saprobe /sapˈrōb/ noun

(Gr bios life) an organism living in foul water

saprobiotˈic adjective

Feeding on dead or decaying plants or animals

saprogenic /-jenˈik/ or saprogenous /sə-projˈi-nəs/ adjective

1. (Gr root of gignesthai to produce) growing on decaying matter
2. Causing or caused by putrefaction

saprolegnia /-legˈni-ə/ noun

(Gr legnon border) any fungus of the genus Saprolegnia, one species of which grows on diseased salmon and was formerly thought to be the cause of the disease

sapˈrolite noun

(Gr lithos stone) a soft, partially decomposed rock that has remained in its original site

sapˈropel /-pel/ noun

(Gr pēlos clay, mud) slimy sediment laid down in water, largely organic in origin

sapropelˈic adjective

Relating to, living in, or derived from, sapropel

sapropelˈite noun

Coal formed from sapropel

saprophˈagous adjective

(see -phagous under phag-) feeding on decaying organic matter

sapˈrophyte /-fīt/ noun

(see -phyte under phyt-) a fungus or bacterium that feeds upon dead and decaying organic matter

saprophytic /-fitˈik/ adjective

saprophytˈically adverb

sapˈrophȳtism noun

sapˈrotroph noun

(Gr trophē food) an organism living on dead or decaying organic matter

• not the faintest
• not the full quid
• not the full shilling
• not the word for it
• not to be sneezed at
• not to be sniffed at
• not to give a monkey's
• not to have a ghost
• not to have a ghost of a chance
• not to know a B from a battledore
• not to lead the life of a dog
• not to mention
• not to put too fine a point on it
• not to say
• not touch with a bargepole
• not to worry
• Notts.
• not turn a hair
• notum
• notungulate
• notungulates
• not unnaturally
• not up
• photogenic
• photogenies