AUTOTROPHIC


Meaning of AUTOTROPHIC in English

transcription, транскрипция: [ ˌȯ-tə-ˈtrō-fik ]

adjective

Etymology: probably from German autotroph, from Greek autotrophos supplying one's own food, from aut- + trephein to nourish

Date: 1893

1. : requiring only carbon dioxide or carbonates as a source of carbon and a simple inorganic nitrogen compound for metabolic synthesis of organic molecules (as glucose)

autotrophic plants

— compare heterotrophic

2. : not requiring a specified exogenous factor for normal metabolism

• au·to·tro·phi·cal·ly -fi-k(ə-)lē adverb

• au·tot·ro·phy ȯ-ˈtä-trə-fē noun

Merriam-Webster's Collegiate English vocabulary.      Энциклопедический словарь английского языка Merriam Webster.