Pneumatophore
/ˌnjuː.məˈtɒf.ər/noun
A specialized air-filled root or breathing structure in certain plants, especially mangroves, that helps obtain oxygen.
Did you know?Pneumatophore comes from Greek roots tied to breath and bearing, and the same ancient breath-word family also gave us eerie, sacred, and spiritual language in words like pneumatic and pneuma.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
πνεῦμα (pneûma)
“breath, wind, spirit”
Ancient Greek
Greek
-φόρος (-phóros)
“bearing, carrying”
Modern Scientific Latin
Latin
pneumatophorum
“a breathing structure in plants”
19th Century
English
pneumatophore
“a plant organ specialized for gas exchange, especially in swamp plants”
Modern English
English
pneumatophore
“an air-exposed root or similar breathing structure in certain plants”