Trophic
/ˈtrɒfɪk/noun
Relating to nutrition, feeding, or the nourishment of living tissue.
Did you know?The root behind *trophic* is Greek *trophē* (“nourishment”), which also feeds into scientific words like *atrophy*—literally a state of “not being nourished.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*trep- / *trep̥-
“to turn, feed, or be nourished”
Ancient Greek
Greek
τροφός (trophós), τροφή (trophḗ)
“nourisher; nourishment, food”
Late Latin
Latin
trophicus
“pertaining to nourishment”
16th–18th Century
French/English
trophique
“relating to nutrition or sustenance”
Modern English
English
trophic
“relating to nutrition or tissue growth”
Explore more surprising origins