tropism (n.)

1899, "tendency of an animal or plant to turn or move in response to a stimulus," 1899, abstracted from geotropism or heliotropism, with the second element taken in an absolute sense; ultimately from Greek tropos "a turning" (from PIE root *trep- "to turn").

also from 1899

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geotropism (n.)

"growth downward," 1874, from geo- "earth" + -trope "a turn, direction" (from PIE root *trep- "to turn"), translating German Geotropismus (1868), which was coined in 1868 by German botanist Albert Bernhard Frank. Related: Geotropic.

heliotropism (n.)

1854, from heliotrope + -ism.

phototropism

thigmotropism

*trep-

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adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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reaction

"action in resistance or response to another action or power," 1640s, from re- "back, again, anew" + action (q.v.). Modeled on French réaction, older Italian reattione, from Medieval Latin reactionem (nominative reactio), a noun of action formed in Late Latin from the past-partic

creation

late 14c., creacioun, "action of creating or causing to exist," also "a created thing, that which is created," from Old French creacion "creation, a coming into being" (14c., Modern French création), from Latin creationem (nominative creatio) "a creating, a producing," in classic

response

c. 1300, respounse, "an answer, a reply," from Old French respons (Modern French réponse) and directly from Latin responsum "an answer," noun use of neuter past participle of respondere "respond, answer to, promise in return," from re- "back" (see re-) + spondere "to pledge" (see

sheepish

c. 1200, shepishe, "of, pertaining to, or resembling a sheep" in some perceived characteristic, from sheep + -ish. Originally "meek, modest, docile, simple," often as qualities of good Christians. With suggestions of "easy to deceive" by c. 1400. The sense of "bashful, over-modes

cocktail

"drink made from water, sugar, spirits and bitters" first attested 1798, but the reason for the application of the name, and the image intended, if any, were obscure even to contemporaries. Ayto ("Diner's Dictionary") derives it from cocktail "horse with a docked tail" (the word

cake

early 13c., "flat or comparatively thin mass of baked dough," from Old Norse kaka "cake," from West Germanic *kokon- (source also of Middle Dutch koke, Dutch koek "a cake, gingerbread, dumpling," Old High German kuohho, German Kuchen "a cake, a tart"). Not believed to be related

bias

1520s, "oblique or diagonal line," from French biais "a slant, a slope, an oblique," also figuratively, "an expedient, means" (13c., originally in Old French a past-participle adjective, "sideways, askance, against the grain"), a word of unknown origin. Probably it came to French

anecdote

1670s, "secret or private stories," from French anecdote (17c.) or directly from Medieval Latin anecdota, from Greek anekdota "things unpublished," neuter plural of anekdotos, from an- "not" (see an- (1)) + ekdotos "published," from ek- "out" (see ex-) + didonai "to give" (from P

battery

1530s, "action of battering," in law, "the unlawful beating of another," from French batterie, from Old French baterie "beating, thrashing, assault" (12c.), from batre "to beat," from Latin battuere (see batter (v.)). The meaning shifted in French from "bombardment" ("heavy blows

sabbatical

1590s, "recurring in sevens or on every seventh;" 1640s, "of or suitable for the Sabbath," from Latin sabbaticus, from Greek sabbatikos "of the Sabbath," from sabbaton (see Sabbath). By 1836 as "characterized by rest or cessation from labor or tillage." Other adjectives from Sabb

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updated on September 28, 2017

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Dictionary entries near tropism

tropho-

trophy

-trophy

tropic

tropical

tropism

troposphere

trot

troth

Trotskyite

trotter