metabolism

me·tab·o·lism

noun \mə-ˈta-bə-ˌli-zəm\

Definition of METABOLISM

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

b : the sum of the processes by which a particular substance is handled in the living body

c : the sum of the metabolic activities taking place in a particular environment <the metabolism of a lake>

2

: metamorphosis 2 —usually used in combination <holometabolism>

Examples of METABOLISM

1. studying the metabolisms of various organisms

Origin of METABOLISM

International Scientific Vocabulary, from Greek metabolē change, from metaballein to change, from meta- + ballein to throw — more at devil

First Known Use: 1878

Other Biochemistry Terms

bile, biodegradable, capsaicin, keratin

Rhymes with METABOLISM

absenteeism, absolutism, abstractionism, adventurism, aestheticism, Afrocentrism, agnosticism, alcoholism, amateurism, anabaptism, anachronism, Anglicanism, animalism, antagonism, Arianism, astigmatism, athleticism, automatism, behaviorism, Big Brotherism, bilingualism, Bonapartism, cannibalism, capitalism, Cartesianism, Catholicism, charlatanism, collectivism, commercialism, communalism, Confucianism, conservatism, constructivism, consumerism, corporatism, creationism, determinism, do-nothingism, eclecticism, ecotourism, ecumenism, egocentrism, empiricism, epicurism, eroticism, essentialism, ethnocentrism, evangelism, exoticism, expansionism, expressionism, Fabianism, factionalism, fanaticism, favoritism, federalism, Fenianism, feuilletonism, Fourierism, fraternalism, Freudianism, funambulism, functionalism, hermeticism, Hispanicism, historicism, hooliganism, illiberalism, illusionism, impressionism, infantilism, inflationism, initialism, insularism, irredentism, Jacobinism, Keynesianism, know-nothingism, lesbianism, liberalism, libertinism, literalism, Lutheranism, Lysenkoism, magic realism, malapropism, mercantilism, messianism, metamorphism, militarism, minimalism, monasticism, monotheism, mutualism, naturalism, Naziritism, negativism, neologism, neo-Nazism, neorealism, nominalism, nonconformism, objectivism, obscurantism, obstructionism, opportunism, pacificism, parallelism, pastoralism, paternalism, patriotism, Peeping Tomism, perfectionism, photo-realism, plebeianism, polytheism, positivism, postmodernism, primitivism, progressivism, protectionism, Protestantism, provincialism, puritanism, radicalism, rationalism, recidivism, reductionism, regionalism, relativism, revisionism, revivalism, ritualism, romanticism, salvationism, sansculottism, scholasticism, sectionalism, secularism, separatism, serialism, Slavophilism, somnambulism, Stakhanovism, structuralism, subjectivism, teetotalism, theocentrism, triumphalism, Uncle Tomism, ventriloquism, vigilantism, workaholism

me·tab·o·lism

noun \mə-ˈtab-ə-ˌliz-əm\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of METABOLISM

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>

metabolism

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Sum of all the chemical reactions that take place in every cell of a living organism, providing energy for the processes of life and synthesizing new cellular material. The term intermediary metabolism refers to the vast web of interconnected chemical reactions by which all the cell's constituents, many rarely found outside it, are created and destroyed. Anabolic reactions use energy to build complex molecules from simpler organic compounds (e.g., proteins from amino acids, carbohydrates from sugars, fats from fatty acids and glycerol); catabolic reactions break complex molecules down into simpler ones, releasing chemical energy. For most organisms, the energy comes ultimately from the Sun, whether they obtain it by photosynthesis and store it in organic compounds or by consuming those organisms that do so. In some bacteria in special environments such as deep-sea vents, the energy comes from chemical reactions instead. Energy is transferred within the cell and the organism by ATP; anabolic reactions consume it, and catabolic reactions generate it. Every cellular chemical reaction is mediated by a specific enzyme. The process that breaks down a substance is usually not the reverse of the process that makes it, using a different enzyme. See also digestion; fermentation; glycolysis; tricarboxylic acid cycle.