mə̇ˈtabəˌlizəm noun
( -s )
Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary metabol- (from Greek metabolē change) + -ism
1.
a. : the sum of the processes concerned in the building up of protoplasm and its destruction incidental to life : the chemical changes in living cells by which energy is provided for the vital processes and activities and new material is assimilated to repair the waste
basal metabolism
methods of determining body and tissue metabolism — Bulletin of the University of Kentucky
— see anabolism , catabolism ; compare assimilation , food 1a, nutrition , secretion
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
vanadium metabolism of tunicates
c. : the sum of the metabolic activities taking place in a particular habitat or environment
the metabolism of a lake
complex processes of historical metabolism involving the whole range of man's cultural, social, and economic existence — Walter Abell
2. : metamorphosis 2 a — usually used in combination
a metabolism
holo metabolism