|hed.ərō.|träfik, -|trōf- adjective
Etymology: heter- + -trophic
: obtaining nourishment from outside sources ; specifically : requiring complex organic compounds of nitrogen and carbon for metabolic synthesis
most animals and those plants that do not carry on photosynthesis are heterotrophic
— opposed to autotrophic
• het·ero·tro·phi·cal·ly -fə̇k(ə)lē adverb