-tron
a combining form extracted from electron, used with nouns or combining forms, princ-p-lly in the names of electron tubes (ignitron; klystron; magnetron) and of devices for accelerating subatomic particles (cosmotron; cyclotron); also, more generally, in the names of any kind of chamber or apparatus used in experiments (biotron).
-tron
suffix
indicating a vacuum tube magnetron
indicating an instrument for accelerating atomic or subatomic particles synchrotron
word origin
from greek, suffix indicating instrument
-tron
as a suffix in new compounds formed in physics, 1939, abstracted from electron (gk. -tron was an instrumentive suffix).
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a combining form meaning “one turned toward” that specified by the initial element (heliotrope); also occurring in concrete nouns that correspond to abstract nouns ending in -tropy, or -tropism: allotrope. -trope combining form indicating a turning towards, development in the direction of, or affinity to heliotrope word origin from greek tropos a turn -trope comb. […]
- -troph
a combining form used in the formation of nouns with the general sense “nutrient matter” (embryotroph), “an organism with given nutritional requirements” (heterotroph); also forming concrete nouns corresponding to abstract nouns ending in -trophy, or adjectives ending in -trophic.
- -trophic
a combining form with the meanings “having nutritional habits or requirements” of the kind specified by the initial element (autotrophic), “affecting the activity of, maintaining” that specified (gonadotrophic) (in this sense often interchangeable with -tropic, ); also forming adjectives corresponding to nouns ending in -troph, or -trophy, (hypertrophic). -trophic suff. of, relating to, or characterized […]
- -trophy
a combining form used in the formation of nouns with the general senses “nourishment, feeding” (mycotrophy), “growth” (hypertrophy); also forming abstract nouns corresponding to adjectives ending in -trophic. -trophy combining form indicating a certain type of nourishment or growth dystrophy derived forms -trophic, combining_form:in_adjective word origin from greek -trophia, from trophē nourishment -trophy comb. form […]
- -tropic
a combining form with the meanings “turned toward, with an orientation toward” that specified by the initial element (geotropic), “having an affinity for, affecting” what is specified (lipotropic; neurotropic; psychotropic), “affecting the activity of, maintaining” a specified organ (gonadotropic). compare -trophic. -tropic combining form turning or developing in response to a certain stimulus heliotropic word […]