![[P]](http://cache.lexico.com/g/d/premium_mh.gif){kind=small}
14 results for: metabolism
me·tab·o·lism 
Audio Help [muh-tab-uh-liz-uhm] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [muh-tab-uh-liz-uhm] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | Biology, Physiology. the sum of the physical and chemical processes in an organism by which its material substance is produced, maintained, and destroyed, and by which energy is made available. Compare anabolism, catabolism. |
| 2. | any basic process of organic functioning or operating: changes in the country's economic metabolism. |
) change (meta- | Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
metabolism
To learn more about metabolism visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| "How To Lose Belly Fat" Get Rid of Your Abdominal Fat Now. Lose 1 Jean Size Every 7 Days! www.FireYourFat.com | Sponsored Link |
| me·tab·o·lism
Audio Help (mĭ-tāb'ə-lĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
n.
[From Greek metabolē, change, from metaballein, to change : meta-, meta- + ballein, to throw; see gwelə- in Indo-European roots.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
metabolism
in physiology sense, 1878, from Fr. métabolisme, from Gk. metabole "change," from metaballein "to change," from meta- "over" + ballein "to throw." Metabolic is first attested 1845 in this sense, from Ger. metabolisch (1839). The word is attested from 1743 with the lit. sense of "involving change."
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| metabolism | |
noun | |
| 1. | the marked and rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in some animals [syn: metamorphosis] |
| 2. | the organic processes (in a cell or organism) that are necessary for life |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
| metabolism
Audio Help (mĭ-tāb'ə-lĭz'əm) Pronunciation Key
The chemical processes by which cells produce the substances and energy needed to sustain life. As part of metabolism, organic compounds are broken down to provide heat and energy in the process called catabolism. Simpler molecules are also used to build more complex compounds like proteins for growth and repair of tissues as part of anabolism. Many metabolic processes are brought about by the action of enzymes. The overall speed at which an organism carries out its metabolic processes is termed its metabolic rate (or, when the organism is at rest, its basal metabolic rate). Birds, for example, have a high metabolic rate, since they are warm-blooded, and their usual method of locomotion, flight, requires large amounts of energy. Accordingly, birds usually need large amounts of high-quality, energy-rich foods such as seeds or meat, which they must eat frequently. See more at cellular respiration. metabolic adjective (mět'ə-bŏl'ĭk) |
| The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
metabolism [(muh-tab-uh-liz-uhm)]
The total of the chemical reactions that maintain the life of a living thing.
Note: In humans, metabolism is related to the intake and use of food; persons with a high metabolism can eat more without gaining weight.
[Chapter:] Life Sciences
| The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
-t
b
-l
- The complex of physical and chemical processes occurring within a living cell or organism that are necessary for the maintenance of life. In metabolism some substances are broken down to yield energy for vital processes while other substances, necessary for life, are synthesized.
- The functioning of a specific substance, such as water, within the living body.
| The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. |
Main Entry: me·tab·o·lism
Pronunciation: m&-'tab-&-"liz-&m
Function: noun
1 a : the sum of the processes in the
buildup and destruction of protoplasm; specifically : the chemical changes in living cells by which energy is provided for vital processes and activities and new material is assimilated
<methods of determining body and tissue metabolism —Bulletin of the University of Kentucky> —see ANABOLISM, CATABOLISM b : the sum of the processes by which a particular substance is
handled (as by assimilation and incorporation or by detoxification and excretion) in the living body <the metabolism of iodine in the thyroid>
2 : METAMORPHOSIS 2 —usually used in combination <holometabolism>
| Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc. |
Metabolism
Mes"o*state\, n. [Meso- + Gr. ? to make to stand.] (Physiol.) A product of metabolic action. Note: Every mesostate is either an anastate or katastate, according as it is formed by an anabolic or katabolic process. See Metabolism.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Metabolism
Me*tab"o*lism\, n. (Physiol.) The act or process, by which living tissues or cells take up and convert into their own proper substance the nutritive material brought to them by the blood, or by which they transform their cell protoplasm into simpler substances, which are fitted either for excretion or for some special purpose, as in the manufacture of the digestive ferments. Hence, metabolism may be either constructive (anabolism), or destructive (katabolism).| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Metabolism
Me*tab"o*lize\, v. t. & i. (Physiol.) To change by a metabolic process. See Metabolism.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Metabolism
Nu*tri"tion\, n. [Cf. F. nutrition. See Nutritious.]1. (Physiol.) In the broadest sense, a process or series of processes by which the living organism as a whole (or its component parts or organs) is maintained in its normal condition of life and growth. Note: In this wide sense it comprehends digestion, absorption, circulation, assimilation, etc., in fact all of the steps by which the nutritive matter of the food is fitted for incorporation with the different tissues, and the changes which it undergoes after its assimilation, prior to its excretion. See Metabolism. 2. (Physiol.) In a more limited sense, the process by which the living tissues take up, from the blood, matters necessary either for their repair or for the performance of their healthy functions. 3. That which nourishes; nutriment. Fixed like a plant, on his peculiar spot, To draw nutrition, propagate, and rot. --Pope.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Metabolism
Me*tab"o*lism\, n. (Biol.) The series of chemical changes which take place in an organism, by means of which food is manufactured and utilized and waste materials are eliminated.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
View results from: Dictionary | Thesaurus | Encyclopedia | All Reference | the Web
Share This: 
Perform a new search, or try your search for "metabolism" at:
- Amazon.com - Shop for books, music and more
- Reference.com - Encyclopedia Search
- Reference.com - Web Search powered by Google
- Thesaurus.com - Search for synonyms and antonyms
