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heterotrophic

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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. 2009.
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het·er·o·troph   (hět'ər-ə-trŏf', -trōf')   
n.  An organism that cannot synthesize its own food and is dependent on complex organic substances for nutrition.

[hetero- + Greek trophos, feeder; see -trophy.]
het'er·o·troph'ic (hět'ər-ə-trŏf'ĭk, -trōf'-) adj., het'er·o·troph'i·cal·ly adv., het'er·ot'ro·phy (-ə-rŏt'rə-fē) n.
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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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: het·ero·tro·phic
Pronunciation: "het-&-r&-'trO-fik
Function: adjective
: requiring complex organic compounds ofnitrogen and carbon for metabolic synthesis —het·ero·tro·phi·cal·ly /-fi-k(&-)lE/ adverbhet·ero·tro·phism /-'trO-"fiz-&m/ nounhet·ero·tro·phy /"het-&-'rä-tr&-fE/ noun plural -phies
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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