heterotroph

het·er·o·troph

[het-er-uh-trof, -trohf]
noun
Biology. an organism requiring organic compounds for its principal source of food.
Compare autotroph.


Origin:
1895–1900; hetero- + -troph

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To heterotroph
Collins
World English Dictionary
heterotrophic (ˌhɛtərəʊˈtrɒfɪk) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
Compare autotrophic (of organisms, such as animals) obtaining carbon for growth and energy from complex organic compounds
 
[C20: from hetero- + Greek trophikos concerning food, from trophē nourishment]
 
'heterotroph
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
00:10
Heterotroph is always a great word to know.
So is transmembrane. Does it mean:
an organism or cell capable of synthesizing all its metabolites from inorganic material, requiring no organic nutrients
occurring across a membrane, as an electric potential or the transport of ions or gases
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

heterotroph het·er·o·troph (hět'ər-ə-trŏf', -trōf')
n.
An organism that cannot synthesize its own food and is dependent upon complex organic substances for nutrition.


het'er·o·troph'ic (-trŏf'ĭk, -trō'fĭk) adj.
het'er·ot'ro·phy (-ə-rŏt'rə-fē) n.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
heterotroph   (hět'ər-ə-trŏf')  Pronunciation Key 
An organism that cannot manufacture its own food and instead obtains its food and energy by taking in organic substances, usually plant or animal matter. All animals, protozoans, fungi, and most bacteria are heterotrophs. Compare autotroph.

heterotrophic adjective (hět'ər-ə-trŏf'ĭk)
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT