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Glite Dictionary
nitrophilous

nitrophilous

1 9.9
Growing well in soil with a lot of nitrogen
  • adjective
  • /naɪˈtroʊfɪləs/
  • Specialized
: nitrofílico
  • Many weeds are nitrophilous and grow well in fertilized fields.

Examples

  • Gardeners often notice that nitrophilous species dominate compost-rich garden beds.

  • The nitrophilous plants flourished in the fertilized garden.

  • The nitrophilous plants quickly colonized the area after the application of nitrogen fertilizer.

  • Many nitrophilous species can be found in wetlands.

  • Many nitrophilous plants thrive in areas where fertilizer has been heavily used.

  • The garden was filled with nitrophilous species that flourished in the nutrient-rich soil.

  • Farmers often notice that nitrophilous crops grow better near compost heaps.

Surface Forms

nitrophilous positive

Morphology

nitrophilous = nitrophile (semi-transparent) = nitro + phil + ous

Formed from the combining form 'nitro-' (relating to nitrogen) plus a 'phil(e)-' element meaning 'loving' and the adjectival suffix '-ous'; the parts are technical Greek-derived combining forms that are clear to readers with some scientific vocabulary but not to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

The word nitrophilous comes from nitro- meaning 'nitrogen' and -philous meaning 'loving', the same idea you find in bibliophile ('book-lover'). So a nitrophilous plant 'loves' nitrogen and grows well in nitrogen-rich soil.