saxicolous

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 20, 2010 is: saxicolous • \sak-SIK-uh-lus\ • adjective : inhabiting or growing among rocks Examples: As a graduate student, Pam studied saxicolous lichens above the treeline in three different parts of the Canadian Rockies. Did you know? "Saxicolous." It's not a word that exactly rolls off the tongue, but it's a useful designation for botanists. The word is from Latin, naturally. "Saxum" is Latin for "rock," and "colous" (meaning "living or growing in or on") traces back to Latin "-cola" meaning "inhabitant." Other "colous" offspring include "arenicolous" ("living, burrowing, or growing in sand"), "cavernicolous" ("inhabiting caves"), and "nidicolous" ("living in a nest" or "sharing the nest of another kind of animal"). All of these words were coined in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to describe the flora and fauna of our world. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.