trophic

1 of 2

adjective

tro·​phic ˈtrō-fik How to pronounce trophic (audio)
1
: of or relating to nutrition : nutritional
trophic disorders
2
3
: promoting cellular growth, differentiation, and survival
trophically adverb

-trophic

2 of 2

adjective combining form

1
a
: of, relating to, or characterized by (such) nutrition
ectotrophic
b
: requiring or utilizing (such) a kind of nutrition
heterotrophic
2
: -tropic sense 2
gonadotrophic

Examples of trophic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Threats are greatest for higher trophic species, especially those that are harvested for food, including pufferfish, tunas and sharks, and in low-income countries with a high dependence on fisheries, suggesting a widespread ecosystem restructuring for those species, Boyce said. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2022 The locus coeruleus neurons make substances called trophic factors, which promote the building of neural circuits. Kelyn Soong, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Feb. 2023 The water availability hypothesis, proposing that water supply underlies primary productivity and enables more diversity at higher trophic levels. Jeffrey Marlow, Discover Magazine, 31 Dec. 2016 Its extinction likely led to impacts on marine ecosystems, Cooper says, via trophic cascades. Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 2 Sep. 2022 But Lyson, Chester, and others argue that the extinction was sudden and catas- trophic, and the new find supports their view. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 22 Dec. 2011 Rather, this is an information pyramid, with very few apex organisms as one ascends up the cascade of info-trophic layers. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 24 July 2012 This type of indirect interaction where organisms at the top of the food chain affect those at the bottom, or vice versa, is called a trophic cascade—named for the effects that cascade throughout the rungs of the food chain. Sam Zlotnik, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Aug. 2022 According to Jerrold Belant, a wildlife ecologist at Michigan State University who was not involved in this research, studying trophic cascades is not easy to do. Sam Zlotnik, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Aug. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trophic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

French trophique, from Greek trophikos, from trophē nourishment, from trephein to nourish

Adjective combining form

New Latin -trophia -trophy

First Known Use

Adjective

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of trophic was in 1845

Dictionary Entries Near trophic

Cite this Entry

“Trophic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trophic. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

trophic

adjective
tro·​phic ˈtrō-fik How to pronounce trophic (audio)
: of or relating to the process of getting and eating food : nutritional

Medical Definition

trophic

adjective
tro·​phic ˈtrō-fik How to pronounce trophic (audio)
1
: of or relating to nutrition : nutritional
trophic disorders
2
: tropic
3
: promoting cellular growth, differentiation, and survival
nerve growth factor is a trophic agent
trophically adverb
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