photoautotroph

Meanings

1. an organism, such as all green plants, that can synthesize its own food from inorganic material using light as a source of energy

Etymology

From photo- (from the combining form φωτω- (phōtō-) of Ancient Greek φῶς (phôs, “light”)) + autotroph, from auto- (from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-, “self-”)) + -troph (from Ancient Greek τροφή (trophḗ, “nourishment”)).