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TROPISTIC

 - 6 dictionary results

tro⋅pism

  [troh-piz-uhm]
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–noun Biology.
an orientation of an organism to an external stimulus, as light, esp. by growth rather than by movement.
Origin:
1895–1900; independent use of -tropism

Related forms:
tro⋅pis⋅mat⋅ic  [troh-piz-mat-ik] , adjective
tro⋅pis⋅tic  [troh-pis-tik] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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tro·pism   (trō'pĭz'əm)   
n.  The turning or bending movement of an organism or a part toward or away from an external stimulus, such as light, heat, or gravity.

[From -tropism.]
tro'pic, tro·pis'tic adj., tro·pis'ti·cal·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tropism 
1899, "tendency of an animal or plant to turn or move in response to a stimulus," abstracted from geotropism, ult. from Gk. tropos (see trope).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: tro·pism
Pronunciation: 'trO-"piz-&m
Function: noun
: involuntary orientation by an organism or one of its parts that involves turningor curving by movement or by differential growth and is a positive or negative response to a source of stimulation; also : a reflex reaction involving a tropism —tro·pis·tic /trO-'pis-tik/ adjective
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

tropism tro·pism (trō'pĭz'əm)
n.
The turning or bending movement of a living organism or part toward or away from an external stimulus, such as light, heat, or gravity.

tro'pic, tro·pis'tic adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Science Dictionary
tropism   (trō'pĭz'əm)  Pronunciation Key 
The growth or movement of a living organism or anatomical structure toward or away from an external stimulus, such as light, heat, or gravity. See also geotropism, hydrotropism, phototropism.

tropistic adjective
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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