| 释义 |
me·tab·o·lism
\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
< ametabolism >
< holometabolism > |