Herbivore Definition, Usage & Animal Examples

Meaning 1：plant-eating animal (herbivore)

herbivore 🔊

/ˈhɜːrbɪvɔːr/

An animal that gets its energy from eating plants, like grass or leaves, and does not eat meat.

Herbivore example: a rabbit eating a carrot in a sunny meadow, illustrating a plant-based diet.

plant-eating animal 🔊

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/plænt ˈiːtɪŋ ˈænɪməl/

An animal that consumes plants as its primary food source, such as grasses, leaves, and fruits, and does not include meat in its diet.

📁 Category：Animal Protection 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'herba' (plant) + 'vorare' (to devour), meaning plant-eater.

💡 Mnemonic

Herbivores eat herbs and plants, not meat. Think 'herb' + 'vore' (as in devour).

📖 Example

When we visited the zoo, the guide explained that the elephant, peacefully eating hay, is a herbivore and plays a key role in spreading seeds in the wild. 🔊 During our zoo visit, the guide told us that the elephant, calmly eating hay, is a plant-eating animal and helps disperse seeds in nature.

🔗 Collocations

strict herbivore – an animal that eats only plants

large herbivore – a big plant-eating animal

herbivore diet – a diet consisting solely of plants

🔄 Synonyms

plant-eater (n.) – an animal that feeds on plants

vegetarian animal (n.) – an animal that consumes only plant material

folivore (n.) – a herbivore that specializes in eating leaves

🚫 Antonyms

carnivore (n.) – an animal that eats meat

omnivore (n.) – an animal that eats both plants and meat

🌱 Derivatives

herbivorous (adj.) – feeding on plants

herbivory (n.) – the practice of eating plants

📖 Cultural Story

The term originates from Latin 'herbivorus', combining 'herba' (plant) and 'vorare' (to devour). It is widely used in biology and ecology to classify animals based on diet.