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Glite Dictionary
lucifugous

lucifugous

9.9
Avoids light and lives in dark places
  • adjective
  • /ˌluːsɪˈfjuːɡəs/
translation icon : lucifugo
  • Some fungi are lucifugous and thrive only in shaded, dark environments.

Examples

  • The lucifugous creature hid in the shadows.

  • The lucifugous nature of certain cave-dwelling animals helps them survive in perpetual darkness.

  • Scientists studied the lucifugous tendencies of insects that hide under rocks during daylight hours.

  • Many lucifugous animals are active at night.

  • The lucifugous creature emerged only at night, shunning the light of day.

  • Many lucifugous plants thrive in the dark, deep inside the forest.

  • In the lucifugous corners of the cave, tiny insects creep about, avoiding any brightness.

Synonyms

photophobic
vslucifugous
  • Specialized
1 8.9

Feels pain or discomfort in bright light and avoids it

avoids light generally without implying biological sensitivity
lucifugal
vslucifugous
  • Specialized
9.9

Tending to avoid light and stay in dark places

has identical meaning but appears as a variant form
heliophobic
vslucifugous
  • Specialized
9.9

Tending to avoid sunlight or to be harmed by it

avoids light broadly rather than only avoiding sunlight

How Light-Avoiding

lucifugous
9.9
photophobic
  • Specialized
1 8.9

Surface Forms

lucifugous positive

Morphology

lucifugous = lucifuge (opaque) = luci + fug + ous

The immediate base 'lucifuge' and its Latin combining parts are rare and not familiar to typical learners, so the relation to familiar English words is not interpretable.

Etymology

Lucifugous comes from Latin parts luc- meaning 'light' and fug- meaning 'to flee' or 'to run away'. So a lucifugous animal or plant 'runs away from light', which is why the word describes creatures that live in dark places.