Meanings
plural heliotropisms
- countableuncountablebiologyThe property of some plants of turning under the influence of light; either positively (towards the light) or negatively (away from the light).
As soon as the faintest ray of light reaches a seedling, heliotropism will guide it through any crack in the soil, or through an entangled mass of overlying vegetation; […]
1880 November 6, Charles Darwin, Francis Darwin, chapter XII, in The Power of Movement in Plants, page 5551 more example
A field of young sunflowers will slowly rotate from east to west during the course of a sunny day, each leaf seeking out as much sunlight as possible as the sun moves across the sky through an adaptation called heliotropism.
2012, Staff (University of Wisconsin-Madison), Sunflowers inspire more efficient solar power system, R&D Magazine, online
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*sóh₂wl̥
- Proto-Indo-European*sh₂wél(i)yos
- Proto-Hellenic*hāwélios
- Ancient Greekἥλῐος (hḗlĭos)
- Englishhelio-
- Englishheliotropism
Translations
French héliotropisme
- héliotropismemotion of plants under light
Irish héileatrópacht
- héileatrópachtmotion of plants under light
Italian eliotropismo
- eliotropismomotion of plants under light
Polish heliotropizm
- heliotropizmmotion of plants under light
Portuguese heliotropismo
- heliotropismomotion of plants under light
Russian гелиотропи́зм
- гелиотропи́зм (geliotropízm)motion of plants under light
Spanish heliotropismo
- heliotropismomotion of plants under light
Cite this entry
heliotropism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heliotropism
“heliotropism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heliotropism. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “heliotropism,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heliotropism.
Source: heliotropism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.