Autotrope
/ˈɔːtətrəʊp/noun
A living thing that makes its own food from inorganic substances, or, in older scientific usage, something that turns or moves by itself.
Did you know?Its second half comes from Greek *tropē* (“a turn, turning”), the same root that gave English *trophy* and *tropic*, so the word literally hides motion inside a name for self-sustaining life.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
GRK
autós
“self, one’s own”
Ancient Greek
GRK
tropḗ
“a turn, turning, change of direction”
Late 19th Century
English
autotroph
“an organism that manufactures its own organic substances from simple inorganic materials”
Early 20th Century
English
autotrope
“a self-turning organism or device; a scientific variant/related form used in biology and mechanics”
Modern English
English
autotrope
“a word used in scientific contexts for something self-turning or self-sustaining, though autotroph is the standard biology term”