carnivorous

car·niv·o·rous

adj \kär-ˈni-v(ə-)rəs\

Definition of CARNIVOROUS

1

: subsisting or feeding on animal tissues

2

of a plant : subsisting on nutrients obtained from the breakdown of animal protoplasm (as of insects)

3

: of or relating to the carnivores

4

: rapacious

— car·niv·o·rous·ly adverb

— car·niv·o·rous·ness noun

— car·niv·ory \kär-ˈni-və-rē\ noun

Origin of CARNIVOROUS

Latin carnivorus, from carn-, caro + -vorus -vorous

First Known Use: 1592

Other Ecology Terms

Malthusian, anthropogenic, biomass, carbon footprint, crepuscular, niche, sere, symbiosis, taiga, tundra

Rhymes with CARNIVOROUS

granivorous, herbivorous, omnivorous