antitropous
|an-ti-tro-pous|
🇺🇸
/ˌæn.tɪˈtroʊ.pəs/
🇬🇧
/ˌæn.tɪˈtrəʊ.pəs/
turned opposite (in orientation)
Etymology
'antitropous' originates from Greek, specifically from the prefix 'anti-' meaning 'opposite' and 'tropos' meaning 'turn' (via New Latin/botanical Latin formation).
'antitropous' was formed in New Latin (botanical Latin) from Greek elements 'anti-' + 'tropos' to describe ovule orientation; the term entered specialized botanical usage in scientific descriptions in the 19th century and has remained a technical descriptor in morphology.
Initially formed to mean 'turned the opposite way' in a literal sense; over time it has been specialized in botanical terminology to describe a specific ovule orientation (the micropyle directed away from the point of attachment).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
in botany: (of an ovule) oriented so that it is turned in the opposite direction relative to its point of attachment (the funiculus), with the micropyle directed away from the placenta; contrasted with anatropous and orthotropous orientations.
The researcher noted that the species produces antitropous ovules, in which the micropyle faces away from the funiculus.
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/11 22:04