heliotropism

[hee-lee-o-truh-piz-uh m, hee-lee-uh-troh-piz-uh m]

noun

heliotropic tendency or growth.

Nearby words

Origin of heliotropism

First recorded in 1850–55; helio- + -tropism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for heliotropism

We notice also the reverse phenomenon, namely, that chemical changes produced in the animal destroy its heliotropism.
Darwin and Modern Science|A.C. Seward and Others
The heliotropism of animals is identical with the heliotropism of plants.
Darwin and Modern Science|A.C. Seward and Others
If it acts in a one-sided way, it causes the particular form of stimulation which we call phototaxis or heliotropism.
The Wonders of Life|Ernst Haeckel
We have mentioned the newly hatched larv of the barnacle in connection with heliotropism.
The Organism as a Whole|Jacques Loeb

Very little attention has been given to the subject of heliotropism until within a few recent years.
Butterflies Worth Knowing|Clarence M. Weed

British Dictionary definitions for heliotropism

heliotropism

noun

the growth of plants or plant parts (esp flowers) in response to the stimulus of sunlight, so that they turn to face the sun

Derived Formsheliotropic (ˌhiːlɪəʊˈtrɒpɪk), adjectiveheliotropically, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for heliotropism

heliotropism

1854, from heliotrope + -ism.

Science definitions for heliotropism

heliotropism

[hē′lē-ŏt′rə-pĭz′əm]

The growth or movement of a fixed organism, especially a plant, toward or away from sunlight. Heliotropism can be easily seen in sunflowers, which slowly turn their large flowers so that they continually face the sun.

Related formsheliotropic adjective (hēl′lē-ə-trō′pĭk, -trŏp′ĭk)