het·ero·tro·phic \|hed.ərō.|träfik, -|trōf-\adjective Etymology:heter- + -trophic : obtaining nourishment from outside sources; specifically: requiring complex organic compounds of nitrogen and carbon for metabolic synthesis < most animals and those plants that do not carry on photosynthesis are heterotrophic > — opposed to autotrophic • het·ero·tro·phi·cal·ly\-fə̇k(ə)lē\adverb