-ˌlīt noun
( -s )
Etymology: metabol ism + -ite
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