gravitropism

noun

gra·​vit·​ro·​pism grə-ˈvi-trə-ˌpi-zəm 

: a tropism (as of plant roots or shoots) in which gravity is the stimulus : geotropism

No matter what the orientation of a seed for instance, the roots will always grow down to the soil. This has a special name, gravitropism, and is movement in response to the force of gravity …

—Jeanette Mackay

Examples of gravitropism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In most trees, their sensitivity to the Earth's gravitational pull, called gravitropism, counteracts their will to bend toward light, keeping them upright. —Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 6 June 2017

Word History

Etymology

gravi(ty) + -tropism

First Known Use

1969, in the meaning defined above