heterotrophic

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

adjectiveBiology.
  1. capable of utilizing only organic materials as a source of food.

Origin of heterotrophic

1
First recorded in 1890–95; hetero- + -trophic

Words 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
  1. (of organisms, such as animals) obtaining carbon for growth and energy from complex organic compounds: Compare autotrophic

Origin of heterotrophic

1
C20: from hetero- + Greek trophikos concerning food, from trophē nourishment

Derived forms of heterotrophic

  • heterotroph, noun

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