necrophagous

adjective

ne·​croph·​a·​gous nə-ˈkrä-fə-gəs 

ne-

: feeding on corpses or carrion

necrophagous insects

Examples of necrophagous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While its bite could crush bones and its blade-like teeth tore through meat, Müller and company believe Dynamosuchus collisensis was a slow scavenger, or necrophagous, similar to the vultures and hyenas of today. —National Geographic, 5 Feb. 2020

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin necrophagus, borrowed from Greek nekrophágos, from nekro- necro- + -phagos -phagous

First Known Use

1835, in the meaning defined above