Physiologic Function
tropism Audio
tro·pism [ troh-piz-uhm ]
Subclass of:
Plant Physiological Phenomena; Growth
Etymology:
Greek trope = a turning toward
Hence a tendency to seek a certain tissue.
Definitions related to tropism:
  • The directional growth of an organism in response to an external stimulus such as light, touch, or gravity. Growth towards the stimulus is a positive tropism; growth away from the stimulus is a negative tropism. (From Concise Dictionary of Biology, 1990)
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • The movement of an organism, or part of an organism, in response to an external source of stimulus, usually toward or away from it.
    Gene Ontology Dictionary
    Gene Ontology Consortium, 2021
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This content should not be used in place of medically-reviewed decision support reference material or professional medical advice. Some terms may have alternate or updated definitions not reflected in this set. The definitions on this page should not be considered complete or up to date.