tropism

== English == === Etymology === From -tropism (suffix meaning ‘growth towards; movement, turning’) (possibly based on geotropism and heliotropism), from Latin tropus + English -ism (suffix forming nouns of action, process, or result). Tropus is derived from Ancient Greek τρόπος (trópos, “a turn; a manner, style, way; figure of speech, trope; etc.”), from τρέπω (trépō, “to turn; to divert; to rotate or change orientation”) (from Proto-Indo-European *trep- (“to turn”)) + -ος (-os, suffix forming nouns of result or abstract nouns of action). Sense 1 (“turning of an organism or part of an organism towards or away from a stimulus”) is modelled after German Tropismus. === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈtɹəʊpɪz(ə)m/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈtɹoʊˌpɪzəm/ Hyphenation: trop‧i‧sm === Noun === tropism (countable and uncountable, plural tropisms) (uncountable, biology) The turning of an organism (chiefly a plant) or part of an organism either towards or away from a stimulus; (countable) an instance of this. (countable, by extension, chiefly virology) A capability or tendency for a pathogen (chiefly a virus) to infect a type of cell, tissue, organ, or host organism. (countable, figurative) Of a person: an instinctive predilection or tendency; also (generally), a liking, a preference. ==== Usage notes ==== Sense 1 is generally distinguished from taxis which is used to refer to organisms such as animals and bacteria which are able to move from place to place and so can relocate towards or away from stimuli. Tropism is used to refer to organisms such as fungi and plants which are not motile, and simply turn towards or away from stimuli. Sense 1 should also be distinguished from kinesis or nastic movement (an individual movement being called a nasty), which is non-directional or even random movement in response to stimuli. Not to be confused with trophism. ==== Hyponyms ==== ==== Derived terms ==== tropistic ==== Related terms ==== tropic -tropy (and its deratives) ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === host tropism on Wikipedia.Wikipedia tissue tropism on Wikipedia.Wikipedia tropism on Wikipedia.Wikipedia === Anagrams === imports, primost, promist == Romanian == === Etymology === Borrowed from French tropisme. === Noun === tropism n (plural tropisme) tropism ==== Declension ====