Standard Lemma guide

mesophyte

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈmɛsə(ʊ)fʌɪt/
  • US: /ˈmɛzəˌfaɪt/

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any normal terrestrial plant that grows in environments that have an average supply of water.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

land plant growing in surroundings having an average supply of water; compare xerophyte and hydrophyte

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mesophytic plant

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: vascular plant, tracheophyte

History

Etymology

From French mésophyte, equivalent to meso- (“middle”) + -phyte (“plant”).

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 中生植物 (zhōngshēng zhíwù) — plant that grows with an average supply of water
  • Finnish: mesofyytti — plant that grows with an average supply of water
  • French: mésophyte — plant that grows with an average supply of water
  • Irish: méisifít — plant that grows with an average supply of water
  • Italian: mesofita — plant that grows with an average supply of water
  • Romanian: mezofită — plant that grows with an average supply of water
  • Tagalog: halamang basain — plant that grows with an average supply of water