phototropic

[ foh-tuh-trop-ik, -troh-pik ]

adjective

, Botany.

1. growing toward or away from the light.
2. taking a particular direction under the influence of light.

Other Words From

• photo·tropi·cal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of phototropic¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; photo- + -tropic

Example Sentences

Even more intriguing, this species is phototropic, meaning it can sense light, giving it the ability to aim its sticky packages at whatever's brightest, which it tends to prefer.

From Salon

It made L.A. the phototropic movie capital.

From Los Angeles Times

Phototropic, like the death’s head moth.

From Literature

For example, if light is the stimulating agent, when it strikes a positively phototropic animal, if the latter is not already oriented, the eyes or other nerve terminations sensitive to light transmit an impulse through the central nervous system to certain muscles causing them to increase their tension and thereby swing the animal around with its head toward the light.

From Project Gutenberg

For example, swarm spores in a dish of water which at a given temperature are positively phototropic, that is, gather at the side of the dish toward the light, may, if the temperature of the water is raised or in case of marine forms if the salinity is increased, become negatively phototropic.

From Project Gutenberg