eutrophication

E1U1T1R1O1P3H4I1C3A1T1I1O1N1

noun

The process of becoming eutrophic; the ecosystem's response to the addition of artificial or natural nutrients, mainly phosphates, through detergents, fertilizers, or sewage, to an aquatic system.

Less commonScrabble 21

Meanings

nouneutrophication (countable and uncountable, plural eutrophications)

plural eutrophications

  1. countableuncountablebiologyThe process of becoming eutrophic; the ecosystem's response to the addition of artificial or natural nutrients, mainly phosphates, through detergents, fertilizers, or sewage, to an aquatic system.

    Amphisteginids and peneroplids were among the few taxa found in the bay environments, probably due to their preferences for phytal substrates and tolerance to moderate levels of eutrophication.

    2015 December 29, “Spatial Patterns in the Distribution, Diversity and Abundance of Benthic Foraminifera around Moorea (Society Archipelago, French Polynesia)”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI
    1 more example

    I already hinted at the problem of sea eutrophication (where excess nutrients cause algae to flourish) due to the phosphates that used to be added to washing powder, and, surely, it is not pleasant for plants to find underfoot (or, better, "underroot") those surfactants we use daily at home (please, never pour your dishwater on the roots of a magnificent camellia, even if it is blooming in the garden of a next-door neighbor you cannot stand).

    2011, Roberto Piazza, Soft Matter: The stuff that dreams are made of, page 130

Origin

  1. Englisheutrophic
  2. Englisheutrophicate
  3. Englisheutrophication

From eutrophicate + -ion.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 富營養化 /富营养化
  • 富營養化 /富营养化 (fùyíngyǎnghuà)becoming eutrophic
Czech eutrofizace
  • eutrofizacebecoming eutrophic
Danish eutrofiering, overgødskning
  • eutrofieringbecoming eutrophic
  • overgødskningbecoming eutrophic
Dutch eutrofiëring
  • eutrofiëringbecoming eutrophic
Finnish rehevöityminen
  • rehevöityminenbecoming eutrophic
French eutrophisation
  • eutrophisationbecoming eutrophic
Indonesian eutrofikasi
  • eutrofikasibecoming eutrophic
Italian eutrofizzazione
  • eutrofizzazionebecoming eutrophic
Russian эвтрофика́ция
  • эвтрофика́ция (evtrofikácija)becoming eutrophic
Swedish eutrofiering, övergödning
  • eutrofieringbecoming eutrophic
  • övergödningbecoming eutrophic
Turkish ötrofikasyon
  • ötrofikasyonbecoming eutrophic
Cite this entry
APA

eutrophication. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eutrophication

MLA

“eutrophication.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eutrophication. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “eutrophication,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/eutrophication.

Source: eutrophication on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.