: having the longer axis more or less vertical compare plagiotropic
2
: being, having, or relating to properties (such as strength, stiffness, and elasticity) that are symmetric about two or three mutually perpendicular planes
a piece of straight-grained wood is an orthotropic material
3
of a bridge: designed so that the roadway serves as an orthotropic structural member : constructed with a steel-plate deck as an integral part of the support structure
orthotropically
-pə̇k(ə)lē
adverb
Word History
Etymology
orth- + -tropic
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