hemiparasitic

adjective

hemi·​par·​a·​sit·​ic ˌhe-mē-ˌper-ə-ˈsi-tik 

-ˌpa-rə-

botany

: of, relating to, or being a plant (such as mistletoe) that possesses chlorophyll and typically carries out photosynthesis but is partially parasitic on the roots or shoots of a plant host : semiparasitic

hemiparasitic species

compare holoparasitic

hemiparasite

ˌhe-mē-ˈper-ə-ˌsīt 

-ˈpa-rə-

noun

plural hemiparasites

Botanists categorize mistletoes as hemiparasites—plants that can make food through photosynthesis after siphoning water and mineral nutrients from a host plant …

—Laura A. Sessions

Examples of hemiparasitic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, experts consider mistletoe as hemiparasitic. —Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 23 Dec. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1899, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hemiparasitic

• autocatalytic
• photocatalytic
• psychoanalytic
• analytic
• anxiolytic
• astrocytic
• austenitic
• catalytic
• cytolytic
• dioritic
• diphtheritic
• dolomitic