Tropism n. (Physiol.) Modification of the direction of growth, caused by some external influence, such as light; sometimes used for motion of an organism toward or away from an external stimulus, more properly called taxis.
... display an intense tropism towards oriental cuisine, especially Chinese, and especially of the spicier varieties such as Szechuan and Hunan. This phenomenon (which has also been observed in subcultures that overlap heavily with hackerdom, most ... — The Jargon File, Version 4.0.0
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