/ ˈhetərətrəʊf; -trɒf; NAmE -troʊf; -trɑːf/ noun
( biology ) a living thing that gets its food from the body of another living thing and does not make it from simpler substances
—compare autotroph
► het·ero·troph·ic / ˌhetərəˈtrəʊfɪk; -ˈtrɒfɪk; NAmE -ˈtroʊfɪk; -ˈtrɑːfɪk/ adjective
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WORD ORIGIN
early 20th cent.: from hetero- other + Greek trophos feeder.