polytrophic

adjective

poly·​troph·​ic

¦pälē‧¦träfik,

-lə̇‧¦t-

1

: deriving nourishment from more than one organic substance

polytrophic pathogenic bacteria

2

: producing nutritive cells one of which is attached to each developing egg in the ovary

—used of an insect or the ovary of an insect compare acrotrophic, panoistic

Word History

Etymology

poly- + -trophic

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