antiheliotropism
|an-ti-he-li-o-trop-ism|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.ti.hiː.li.oʊˈtroʊ.pɪ.zəm/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.ti.hiː.li.əˈtrəʊ.pɪ.zəm/
turning away from the sun
Etymology
'antiheliotropism' originates from Greek-derived elements: 'anti-' (meaning 'against'), 'helios' (meaning 'sun'), and 'tropos' (meaning 'turn' or 'turning'), with the English nominalizing suffix '-ism'.
'antiheliotropism' is a compound formed from 'anti-' + 'heliotropism' (itself from Greek 'heliotropismós' via New Latin/botanical usage) and developed as a technical botanical term in modern scientific English (19th–20th century contexts).
Initially a literal compound meaning 'opposite of heliotropism'; it has retained that technical meaning in botany and plant physiology.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the tendency or movement of a plant or plant part away from the sun; the opposite of heliotropism (a sun-avoiding orientation).
Some desert species show antiheliotropism to reduce leaf temperature and water loss.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/04 12:37