heterotrophic
[ het-er-uh-trof-ik, -troh-fik ]
adjectiveBiology.
capable of utilizing only organic materials as a source of food.
Origin of heterotrophic
1Words Nearby heterotrophic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use heterotrophic in a sentence
Should the compound be inorganic, the term autotrophic is applied to the organism and heterotrophic if the compound is organic.
The Fundamentals of Bacteriology | Charles Bradfield Morrey
British Dictionary definitions for heterotrophic
heterotrophic
/ (ˌhɛtərəʊˈtrɒfɪk) /
adjective
(of organisms, such as animals) obtaining carbon for growth and energy from complex organic compounds: Compare autotrophic
Origin of heterotrophic
1C20: from hetero- + Greek trophikos concerning food, from trophē nourishment
Derived forms of heterotrophic
- heterotroph, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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