paratrophic

[ par-uh-trof-ik, -troh-fik ]

adjective

1. obtaining nourishment from living organic matter; parasitic.

Word History and Origins

Origin of paratrophic¹

First recorded in 1855–60; para- ¹ + -trophic

Example Sentences

The true parasites—obligate parasites of de Bary—are placed by Fischer in a third biological group, Paratrophic bacteria, to mark the importance of their mode of life in the interior of living organisms where they live and multiply in the blood, juices or tissues.

From Project Gutenberg