rhizosphere

noun

rhi·​zo·​sphere ˈrī-zə-ˌsfir How to pronounce rhizosphere (audio)
: soil that surrounds and is influenced by the roots of a plant

Examples of rhizosphere in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The word, which means fungal root, refers to the fungus's role in colonizing the plant's rhizosphere, or root system. — Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 28 Oct. 2021 Microorganisms living within the rhizosphere feed off those secretions, and in exchange, provide the plant with additional nourishment. — Lacy Schley, Discover Magazine, 10 Feb. 2019

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1921, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of rhizosphere was in 1921

Rhymes for rhizosphere

See All Rhymes for rhizosphere

Browse Nearby Words

rhizosphere
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rhizosphere.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhizosphere. Accessed 21 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
number-twelve-balloon
12-Letter Words Quiz A dozen words, a dozen letters each.
See All