tropo-

American  

1. a combining form meaning “turn,” “reaction, response,” “change,” “troposphere,” used in the formation of compound words.

   tropophilous.

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tropo- British  

combining form

1. indicating change or a turning

   tropophyte

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Usage

What does tropo- mean? Tropo- is a combining form used like a prefix variously meaning "turn," "reaction, response,” or "change." The form is used in many scientific terms, including in biochemistry, ecology, and meteorology, where tropo- specifically represents the troposphere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere.Tropo- ultimately comes from the Greek trópos, “turn," and tropḗ, "a turning." The Greek trópos is also the source of the words trope and tropical. It’s your turn to make the connection between “turning,” figures of speech, and the tropics at our entries for the words.What are variants of tropo-?When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, tropo- becomes trop-, as in tropism.Corresponding forms of tropo- combined to the end of words are -trope, -tropic, -tropism, -tropous, and -tropy. Learn about their specific applications in our Words That Use articles for the forms.

Etymology

Origin of tropo-

Combining form representing Greek trópos turn, tropḗ a turning