lignivorous
Definitions
from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- adjective Wood-eating; living in and devouring wood, either in a growing tree or in cut timber, as the larvae of many insects; xylophagous.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
- adjective That feeds on wood.
Examples
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"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."
Earth as Modified by Human Action, The~ Chapter 02 (historical)
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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.
Earth as Modified by Human Action, The~ Chapter 02 (historical)
Note
The word 'lignivorous' comes from Latin words meaning 'wood' and 'eating'.
