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tropism
1[troh-piz-uhm]
noun
an orientation of an organism to an external stimulus, as light, especially by growth rather than by movement.
-tropism
2variant of -tropy.
tropism
1/ trəʊˈpɪstɪk, ˈtrəʊpɪzəm /
noun
the response of an organism, esp a plant, to an external stimulus by growth in a direction determined by the stimulus
-tropism
2combining form
indicating a tendency to turn or develop in response to a certain stimulus
phototropism
tropism
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
Other 51Թ Forms
- tropismatic adjective
- tropistic adjective
- ˌٰDZ辱ˈپ adjective
51Թ History and Origins
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of tropism1
Origin of tropism2
Example Sentences
“The lack of efficient lung tropism in previous Omicron lineages contributed to their mild presentation without immediate hospitalization requirements.”
We demonstrated a yearning to correct our mistakes and, I think, a tropism toward goodness.
Yet the most consistent and powerful sense at Armani shows is of a tropism toward the war years and the images of them that he has retained.
We decided to search for viral protein sequences that could be important for tissue tropism.
“The president’s psychology is what’s driving so much of this, and it’s alarming because it shows a lack of self-control, a tremendous tropism. . . . He seems to draw psychic energy from creating chaos and disorder.”
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When To Use
The combining form -tropism is used like a suffix to form abstract nouns corresponding to adjectives ending in -tropic and -tropous, such as how neurotropism is the quality of being neurotropic.These endings variously denote “turning, changing, reacting, responding.” Learn more about -tropic and -tropous at our 51Թs That Use articles for the forms.Where does -tropism come from?The form -tropism comes from the Greek ٰóDz, “turn," and ٰDZḗ, "a turning,” combined with -ism, a prolific suffix also derived from Greek that commonly indicates “action, practice, state, condition.”The biology term tropism, "an orientation of an organism to an external stimulus, as light, especially by growth rather than by movement,” is an independent use of the combining form -tropism.The Greek ٰóDz is also the source of the words trope and tropical. It’s your turn to make the connection between “turning,” figures of speech, and the tropics at our entries for the words.The combining form -tropism is a variant of -tropy, as in allotropy. Want to know more? Read our 51Թs That Use -tropy article.Corresponding forms of -tropism combined to the beginning of words are tropo- and trop-, which you can also learn more about at our 51Թs That Use articles for the forms.
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