pneumatophore

[ noo-mat-uh-fawr, -fohr, nyoo-, noo-muh-tuh-, nyoo- ]

noun

1. Botany. a specialized structure developed from the root in certain plants growing in swamps and marshes, serving as a respiratory organ.
2. Zoology. the air sac of a siphonophore, serving as a float.

pneumatophore

/ njuːˈmætəʊˌfɔː /

noun

1. a specialized root of certain swamp plants, such as the mangrove, that branches upwards, rising above ground, and undergoes gaseous exchange with the atmosphere
2. a polyp in coelenterates of the order Siphonophora, such as the Portuguese man-of-war, that is specialized as a float

pneumatophore

/ no̅o̅-măt′ə-fôr′,no̅o̅′mə-tə- /

1. A specialized root that grows upwards out of the water or mud to reach the air and obtain oxygen for the root systems of trees that live in swampy or tidal habitats. The “knees” of mangroves and the bald cypress are pneumatophores.
2. Also called air root

Other Words From

• pneu·ma·toph·or·ous [noo-m, uh, -, tof, -er-, uh, s, nyoo-], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pneumatophore¹

First recorded in 1855–60; pneumato- + -phore