Definition of: heterotrophy

(het′ə·rot′rə·fē) noun
1. Any disorder of nutrition.
2. Bot. An abnormal manner of obtaining nourishment: applied to certain plants having no true root hairs, and obtaining all nourishment by a fungus, the hyphae of which closely invest the roots and take the place of root hairs. [<HETERO- + Gk. trophē nurture <trephein feed]
—het′er·o·troph′ic (-ə·trof′ik, -trō′fik) adjective