Water cycle
[Wikipedia] Evapotranspiration (ET) is the sum of water evaporation and transpiration from a surface area to the atmosphere. Evaporation accounts for the movement of water to the air from sources such as the soil, canopy interception, and water bodies. Transpiration accounts for the movement of water within a plant and the subsequent exit of water as vapor through stomata in its leaves in vascular plants and phyllids in non-vascular plants. A plant that contributes to evapotranspiration is called an evapotranspirator. Evapotranspiration is an important part of the water cycle.
[GEMET] Discharge of water from the earth's surface to the atmosphere by evaporation from lakes, streams and soil surfaces and by transpiration from plants.
[USGS] Evapotranspiration can be defined as the sum of all forms of evaporation plus transpiration, but here at the Water Science School, we'll be defining it as the sum of evaporation from the land surface plus transpiration from plants.
Evapotranspiration