troph-

¹ American  

1. variant of tropho- before a vowel.

   trophallaxis.

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-troph ² American  

1. a combining form used in the formation of nouns with the general sense “nutrient matter” (embryotroph ), “an organism with given nutritional requirements” (heterotroph ); also forming concrete nouns corresponding to abstract nouns ending in -trophy or adjectives ending in -trophic.

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Usage

Basic definitions of troph- and -troph Troph- and -troph are combining forms used for various senses relating to nourishment and nutrition—how organisms get their food and energy. They ultimately come from the Greek trophḗ, meaning “nourishment, food.”What does troph- mean?Troph- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “nourishment.” It is used in some medical and scientific terms. Troph- is a variant of tropho-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use tropho- article. What does -troph mean?The combining form -troph is used like a suffix meaning "nutrient matter" or naming “an organism with nutritional requirements" as specified by the first part of the word. It is also used to form concrete nouns from abstract nouns ending in -trophy or adjectives ending in -trophic (and vice versa). Learn more about the specific applications of these two forms in our Word That Use articles for them. The combining form -troph is used in many medical and scientific terms, especially in biology.