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hydrophilous

American  
[hahy-drof-uh-luhs] / haɪˈdrɒf ə ləs /

adjective

Botany.

  1. pollinated by the agency of water.

  2. hydrophytic.

hydrophilous British  
/ haɪˈdrɒfɪləs /

adjective

  1. botany growing in or pollinated by water

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • hydrophily noun

Etymology

Origin of hydrophilous

From the New Latin word hydrophilus, dating back to 1850–55. See hydro- 1, -philous

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Dissemination is effected by the agency of water, of air, of animals—and fruits and seeds are therefore grouped in respect of this as hydrophilous, anemophilous and zooidiophilous.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1 by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.