lithopanspermia

L1I1T1H4O1P3A1N1S1P3E1R1M3I1A1

noun

The transfer of life-bearing rocks, ejected from one planet, onto the surface of another.

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Meanings

nounlithopanspermia (uncountable)
  1. uncountablebiologyThe transfer of life-bearing rocks, ejected from one planet, onto the surface of another.

    This experimental evidence supports the possibility of interplanetary transport of lifeforms and makes the lithopanspermia hypothesis more realistic.

    2015 July 8, “Spore-Forming Thermophilic Bacterium within Artificial Meteorite Survives Entry into the Earth's Atmosphere on FOTON-M4 Satellite Landing Module”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI

Origin

From litho- + panspermia.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

lithopanspermia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lithopanspermia

MLA

“lithopanspermia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lithopanspermia. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “lithopanspermia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lithopanspermia.

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