Lithotroph

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An organism that obtains electrons by oxidizing inorganic compounds; typically derives energy through chemical processes independent of sunlight; often found in environments lacking organic nutrients
2. A living being gaining electrons from mineral substances to drive metabolism; uses inorganic molecules as an energy source rather than organic matter or light; commonly inhabits ecological niches with limited organic inputs
3. A microbe or organism that oxidizes inorganic compounds to acquire electrons; conducts chemosynthesis rather than photosynthesis for energy; frequently occurs in habitats poor in organic material

Etymology: "Lithotroph" is a compound built from two Greek elements. "Litho-" comes from Greek "lithos," meaning stone or rock, and "-troph" comes from Greek "trophe," meaning nourishment or feeding. Put together, the word describes an organism that feeds on rock, or more precisely on inorganic mineral material rather than on carbon-based food. The second element carries most of the meaning. "Trophe" is the same root that appears in "autotroph," an organism that makes its own food, and "heterotroph," one that must consume others. Biologists formed these terms by combining classical Greek building blocks, so the word is a modern scientific coinage rather than something ancient Greeks would have recognized. Its structure follows the same pattern as those related terms, which is why the family of words reads so consistently.

Synonyms: rock-eater, chemolithotroph