the amount of energy required by an individual in the resting state, for such functions as breathing and circulation of the blood
basal metabolic rate
basal metabolism in American English
the minimum quantity of energy used or required to sustain life in an organism at rest: it is measured, in people, by the rate (basal metabolic rate) at which heat is given off by a conscious, resting person in a warm place 12 to 18 hours after eating, and is expressed in large calories per hour per square meter of skin surface