English

Noun

tropism ‎(plural tropisms)

1. (biology) the turning of an organism in response to a stimulus, either towards or away from the stimulus
2. (virology) viral tropism, or which type of tissue supports a certain virus

Usage notes

Distinguished from taxis in that in a taxis, the organism has motility and moves towards or away from stimulus (e.g., bacteria, animals), while in a tropism the organism is not motile, and simply turns or grows towards or away from stimulus (e.g., plants, fungi). Similarly, kinesis is distinguished as non-directional movement.

In compound terms, analyzed as suffix -tropism, not stand-alone tropism.

Derived terms

See terms derived from -tropism for compounds.

Translations

References

1. ↑ “tropism” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).

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