transpiration
Transpiration (noun) means the process by which plants lose water vapour into the air, mainly through tiny pores called stomata on the underside of their leaves. Example: “Transpiration pulls water up from the roots all the way to the topmost leaves.”
How to Use Transpiration
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishPlants losing water into the air through their leaves.
Almost always used in biology, geography and agriculture; rarely appears in everyday conversation.
Do not confuse it with respiration: transpiration is about losing water, respiration is about releasing energy from sugar.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
_____ pulls water up from the roots all the way to the topmost leaves.
Etymology
From Latin trans- 'through' and spirare 'to breathe'.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for 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.