Etymograph

English

tropism

Tropism comes from Latin tropus ‘a figurative use of a word, a trope’, from Ancient Greek τρέπω ‘turn, divert, turn back, rout an enemy’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *trep-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*trep-‘to turn’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτρέπω‘turn, divert, turn back, rout an enemy’
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEτρόπος‘a turn, way, manner, style, a trope or figure of speech, a mode in music’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtropus‘a figurative use of a word, a trope’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1900tropism

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*trep-‘to turn’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEτρέπω‘turn, divert, turn back, rout an enemy’
  3. Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEτρόπος‘a turn, way, manner, style, a trope or figure of speech, a mode in music’
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtropus‘a figurative use of a word, a trope’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1900tropism

Earliest quotation: 1900, Walter Eugene Garrey, Literature: “Orientation and tropism are synonymous expressions; that gatherings [of…”

The story

From -tropism (suffix meaning ‘growth towards; movement, turning’) (possibly based on geotropism and heliotropism), from Latin tropus + English -ism (suffix forming nouns of action, process, or result). Tropus is derived from Ancient Greek τρόπος (trópos, “a turn; a manner, style, way; figure of speech, trope; etc.”), from τρέπω (trépō, “to turn; to divert; to rotate or change orientation”) (from Proto-Indo-European *trep- (‘to turn’)) + -ος (-os, suffix forming nouns of result or abstract nouns of action). Sense 1 (‘turning of an organism or part of an organism towards or away from a stimulus’) is modelled after German Tropismus.

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *trep- ‘to turn’

thrive, intrepid, trepidation, turpitude, 31 more

through Ancient Greek τρέπω ‘turn, divert, turn back, rout an enemy’

trophy, 24 more

through Latin tropus ‘a figurative use of a word, a trope’

trope, troubadour, contrive, 6 more

Today it means

noun The turning of an organism (chiefly a plant) or part of an organism either towards or away from a stimulus; (countable) an instance of this.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *trep- / tropism

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