Main Entry: me·tab·o·lite

Pronunciation: \-ˌlīt\

Function: noun

1 : a product of metabolism: a : a metabolic waste usually more or less toxic to the organism producing it : excretion b : a product of one metabolic process that is essential to another such process in the same organism c : a metabolic waste of one organism that is markedly toxic to another : antibiotic
2 : a substance essential to the metabolism of a particular organism or to a particular metabolic process