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basal metabolism

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noun Physiology.
  1. the minimal amount of energy necessary to maintain respiration, circulation, and other vital body functions while fasting and at total rest.

Origin of basal metabolism

First recorded in 1910–15
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for basal metabolism

basal metabolism

noun
  1. the amount of energy required by an individual in the resting state, for such functions as breathing and circulation of the bloodSee basal metabolic rate
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
basal metabolism in Medicine

basal metabolism

n.
  1. The minimum amount of energy required to maintain vital functions in an organism at complete rest, measured by the basal metabolic rate in a fasting individual.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
basal metabolism in Culture

basal metabolism

[(bay-suhl, bay-zuhl muh-tab-uh-liz-uhm)]

The rate at which an inactive, resting organism expends energy.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.