metabolic

[met-uh-bol-ik]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or affected by metabolism.

2. undergoing metamorphosis.

Other Word Forms

• metabolically adverb
• hypermetabolic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of metabolic¹

First recorded in 1735–45; from Greek metabolikós “changeable,” from metabol(ḗ) “change” + -ikos -ic; metabolism

Example Sentences

To explore this issue, Malin and his colleagues enrolled 72 adults considered at risk for metabolic syndrome, which is a cluster of conditions known to raise the likelihood of both diabetes and heart disease.

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"It opens exciting possibilities for developing treatments that target a common pathway underlying both metabolic and alcohol-related liver diseases."

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By monitoring changes over several years, the team gained a clearer picture of how long-term food choices can influence important metabolic functions.

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The RNA molecules they detected coded for proteins involved in muscle contraction and metabolic responses to stress.

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Today, however, that ancient adaptation contributes to a range of modern metabolic issues.

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When To Use

What does metabolic mean?

Metabolic describes something that is related to or is affected by metabolism, as in Dr. Petrov discovered the patient’s illness had metabolic causes.Your metabolism is the sum of the physical and chemical processes in your body needed to sustain life by producing energy. In humans, metabolism involves a large number of different organs and tissues. For this reason, the word metabolic is frequently used in medicine, nutrition, and other health sciences to discuss the digestive system, circulatory system, and other bodily processes.Example: While studying the birds, the researchers conducted intense studies of the animals’ metabolic rate increases during prolonged flights.