lignivorous

[ lig-niv-er-uhs ]

adjective

1. xylophagous.

lignivorous

/ lɪɡˈnɪvərəs /

adjective

1. (of animals) feeding on wood

Word History and Origins

Origin of lignivorous¹

First recorded in 1820–30; ligni- + -vorous

Example Sentences

"Having, for fifteen years," says the latter author, "incessantly studied the habits of lignivorous insects in one of the best wooded regions of France, I have observed facts enough to feel myself warranted in expressing my conclusions, which are: that insects in general—I am not speaking of those which confine their voracity to the leaf—do not attack trees in sound health, and they assail those only whose normal conditions and functions have been by some cause impaired."

From Project Gutenberg

The lignivorous insects that attack living trees almost uniformly confine their ravages to trees already unsound or diseased in growth from the depredations of leaf-eaters, such as caterpillars and the like, or from other causes.

From Project Gutenberg

Lignivorous: feeding upon wood or woody tissues.

From Project Gutenberg

The lignivorous insects that attack living trees almost uniformly confine their ravages to trees already unsound or diseased in growth from the depredations of leaf-eaters, such as caterpillars and the like, or from other causes.

From Project Gutenberg

"Having, for fifteen years," says the latter author, "incessantly studied the habits of lignivorous insects in one of the best wooded regions of France, I have observed facts enough to feel myself warranted in expressing my conclusions, which are: that insects in general—I am trees in sound health, and they assail those only whose normal conditions and functions have been by some cause impaired."

From Project Gutenberg