WORD OF THE DAY
When a plant's leaves curl in response to a chilly window, it's an example of thermotropism, which is an organism's tendency to move toward warmth and away from cold.
In biology, a tropism is an involuntary response to a stimulus. Once you know that, you can probably easily guess that thermotropism is a tendency to respond to (and usually grow toward) heat, since thermo means "heat," from the Greek thermos. It's mostly a habit of plants, though it might also explain the popularity of saunas on very cold days.
Want to expand your vocabulary?
Get Word of the Day delivered straight to your inbox!



