scotophil

[ skoh-tuh-fil ]

adjective

, Biology.

1. living and flourishing in darkness.
2. pertaining to the part of the circadian cycle when light does not affect reproduction.

Other Words From

• sco·toph·i·ly [skoh-, tof, -, uh, -lee], noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of scotophil¹

First recorded in 1945–50; scoto- ( def ) + -phil ( def )