phototropism

[ foh-to-truh-piz-uhm, foh-toh-troh-piz-uhm ]

/ foʊˈtɒ trəˌpɪz əm, ˌfoʊ toʊˈtroʊ pɪz əm /

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noun Botany.

phototropic tendency or growth.

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Origin of phototropism

First recorded in 1895–1900; photo- + -tropism

Words nearby phototropism

phototoxin, phototransistor, phototroph, phototrophic bacteria, phototropic, phototropism, phototropy, phototube, phototype, phototypeset, phototypesetting

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use phototropism in a sentence

Example of type A is found in the negative phototropism of the root of Sinapis.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919|Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose
Thus the term phototropism means a turning or orientation brought about by means of light.
Being Well-Born|Michael F. Guyer

British Dictionary definitions for phototropism

phototropism

/ (ˌfəʊtəʊˈtrəʊpɪzəm) /

noun

the growth response of plant parts to the stimulus of light, producing a bending towards the light source

the response of animals to light; phototaxis

Derived forms of phototropism

phototropic, adjective

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

Scientific definitions for phototropism

phototropism

[ fō-tŏt′rə-pĭz′əm ]

The growth or movement of a fixed organism toward or away from light. In plants, phototropism is a response to blue wavelengths of light and is caused by a redistribution of auxin from the illuminated side to the darker side of the shoot, resulting in quicker growth on the darker side and bending of the shoot toward the source of light. Certain sessile invertebrates also exhibit phototropism.