heterotrophic

[het-er-uh-trof-ik, -troh-fik]

het·er·o·troph·ic

[het-er-uh-trof-ik, -troh-fik]
adjective Biology.
capable of utilizing only organic materials as a source of food.

Origin:
1890–95; hetero- + -trophic
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Heterotrophic is always a great word to know.
So is unfit. Does it mean:
the compact area of a nerve cell that constitutes the nucleus and surrounding cytoplasm, excluding the axons and dendrites
an organism that is not adapted to prevailing conditions or producing offspring that maintain its contribution of genes to the next generation
Collins
World English Dictionary
heterotrophic (ˌhɛtərəʊˈtrɒfɪk)
 
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
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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.
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