transpiration

4 synonyms for transpiration, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — The process by which plants lose water vapour into the air, mainly through tiny pores called stomata on the underside of their leaves.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

sweating

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

water loss evaporation perspiration

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

The process by which plants lose water vapour into the air, mainly through tiny pores called stomata on the underside of their leaves.

“Transpiration pulls water up from the roots all the way to the topmost leaves.”

water loss evaporation

2. noun technical

The giving off of moisture through the skin or another surface; sweating.

“Insensible transpiration through the skin accounts for a surprising amount of daily fluid loss.”

perspiration sweating

How to use transpiration

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

rate of transpiration transpiration stream transpiration pull evapotranspiration

Almost always used in biology, geography and agriculture; rarely appears in everyday conversation.

Etymology

From Latin trans- 'through' and spirare 'to breathe'.

Full origin of transpiration →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between transpiration and evaporation?

Evaporation is water turning to vapour from any surface, such as a puddle or a lake. Transpiration is specifically water leaving a living plant through its stomata, and the plant can control it by opening and closing those pores. Scientists often combine the two as 'evapotranspiration'.

Why is transpiration important?

It creates the suction that draws water and dissolved minerals up from the roots, cools the leaves, and returns huge volumes of water to the atmosphere. Forests move so much water this way that they influence regional rainfall.

When does transpiration happen fastest?

When it is hot, dry, bright and windy, because the stomata are open for photosynthesis and the surrounding air carries the vapour away quickly. It slows at night and in humid, still conditions.

People also searched

sweating evaporation perspiration

Nearby words

← Back to the full definition of transpiration