Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Epiphyte \Ep"i*phyte\, n. [Gr. 'epi` upon + fyto`n plant, ? to
   grow: cf. F. ['e]piphyte.]
   1. (Bot.) An air plant which grows on other plants, but does
      not derive its nourishment from them. See {Air plant}.

   2. (Med.) A vegetable parasite growing on the surface of the
      body.

Source : WordNet®

epiphyte
     n : plant that derives moisture and nutrients from the air and
         rain; usually grows on another plant but not parasitic on
         it [syn: {air plant}, {aerophyte}, {epiphytic plant}]