zootrophyhttp://www.oed.com/dictionary/zootrophy_n%3Ftab%3Dmeaning_and_usezootrophy, n.
Revised 2017

zootrophynoun

  1. 1.
    1877–1901
    † The practice of rearing or tending animals. Obsolete. rare.
    1. 1877
      Pigs, which, with all her zootrophy, Clementina did not like.
      G. MacDonald, Marquis of Lossie vol. II. ix. 79
    2. 1901
      We go in a good deal for Natural Sciences here, and I daresay Zootrophy will be included before long in the subjects for the Tripos.
      Cambridge Review 31 January 152/1
  2. 2.
    1930–
    Biology. The condition of requiring material derived from living organisms, esp. animals, for nutrition; = heterotrophy n. 1c. Formerly also: the condition (in microorganisms) of growing in animal cells (now rare or disused).
    1. 1930
      Among insects the theory of Anopheline zootrophy and the cases of Rhagoletis pomonella have already been mentioned.
      Biol. Rev. & Biol. Proc. Cambridge Philos. Society vol. 5 206
    2. 1946
      1. Schizomycetotrophy Growth only in bacterial cells. 2. Phytotrophy Growth only in plant cells. 3. Zootrophy Growth only in animal cells.
      Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology vol. 11 App. 302/2
    3. 1967
      Zootrophy seems to have developed at least twice among euglenoid flagellates.
      Annual Review Microbiology vol. 21 32
    4. 1974
      Saprotrophy must rank with photoautotrophy and zootrophy as one of the three broad ways of life.
      Mycologia vol. 66 12
    5. 1999
      Each [trophic] level is characterized by associated and more or less exclusive processes which make up the regime:..(III) zootrophy (phytophagy or herbivory); (IV) zootrophy (carnivory or predation).
      Canadian Encyclopedia (Year 2000 edition) 725/2
    6. 2008
      The next step, zootrophy, represents variations of the theme ‘bowel with gonads’.
      G. A. Zavarzin in N. Dobretsov et al., Biosphere Origin & Evolution 27

Originally published as part of the entry for zoo-, comb. form

zootrophy, n. was revised in June 2017.

zootrophy, n. was last modified in July 2023.