heliotropic
- adjective
- /ˌhiːliəˈtrɒpɪk/
- Specialized
:
heliotrópico
- The leaves of the bean plant are heliotropic, adjusting their position throughout the day to soak up more sunlight.
Examples
-
In his discussion of Joyce's "critique of writing," Fuentes employs heliotropic and economic metaphors similar to those that Derrida uses to deconstruct white mythology:
Academic text (2004) -
The sunflower is a heliotropic plant, always turning to face the sun as it moves across the sky.
-
During the summer, many heliotropic flowers follow the light, which helps them to grow stronger.
Synonyms
To grow or turn toward a light source
Surface Forms
Morphology
heliotropic = heliotrope (semi-transparent) = helio + trop + ic
Formation from the noun 'heliotrope' with the adjectival suffix '-ic' is a regular and transparent derivation.
Etymology
Heliotropic comes from Greek helios 'sun' and -tropos 'turn'. Think of a sunflower that slowly turns to follow the sun; that's why heliotropic means turning or growing toward sunlight.
