What does herbivorous mean?
Herbivorous is an adjective describing organisms, diets, or feeding strategies based primarily on plants. It applies to animals that graze grasses, browse leaves and branches, or feed on fruits, seeds, and other vegetation. In paleontology and zoology, it is an important classification: a herbivorous animal may be identified by teeth, jaws, digestive anatomy, or the plant remains associated with its fossils. The word is precise where “vegetarian” can be less exact, because herbivorous refers to a feeding habit rather than primarily to a person’s dietary preference or ethical choices. The term can describe a species, an individual, or a diet, as in “herbivorous mammals,” “a herbivorous dinosaur,” and “a herbivorous diet.” Its Latin roots make its meaning transparent: “herb” refers to vegetation, while the second element means “eating.” The word is useful whenever a writer needs to identify plant-based feeding without implying that the subject is human.
adjectiveHerbivorous means feeding mainly or exclusively on plants or plant matter. It describes an organism, or a diet, whose food consists of vegetation such as leaves, grasses, fruits, and other plant material.
- Feeding on plants or plant matter.
"The vast, herbivorous dinosaurs dominated many terrestrial ecosystems during the Mesozoic."
"Many herbivorous mammals spend the summer grazing on fresh grass."
"The fossil suggests that the animal was herbivorous, with teeth adapted for grinding fibrous plants."
A herbivore may be a gentle giant, but its menu is plant-powered: leaves, grasses, and vegetation do the real work.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does herbivorous come from?
Herbivorous entered English in the early 17th century from Latin herbivorus, meaning “plant-eating” or “grass-eating.” The Latin word combined herba, “grass, herb, or plant,” with a form of vorare, “to devour or eat.” Related English words include herbivore, herbivory, and herbaceous, all reflecting the same broad plant-related root.
Related word forms
How herbivorous is actually used
The term is standard in biology and ecology and is also widely used in general writing. The more specialized equivalent “phytophagous” is especially common in entomology and zoology.
Easily confused with herbivorous
Herbivore is the noun for an animal that eats plants, whereas herbivorous is the adjective describing its plant-based diet or way of feeding.