poikilotherm

American

[poi-ki-luh-therm, poi-kuh-loh-] / pɔɪˈkɪ ləˌθərm, ˈpɔɪ kə loʊ- /

noun

Zoology. an animal whose internal body temperature is subject to dramatic variations based on its environment.

poikilotherm Scientific

/ poi-kĭl′ə-thûrm′ /

See ectotherm

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

poikilotherms

plural

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

poikilotherms

In contrast to ectotherms, which rely on external temperatures to set their body temperatures, poikilotherms are animals with constantly varying internal temperatures.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022

This isn’t surprising, given that insects are poikilotherms, i.e., coldblooded.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 1, 2022

In addition to being ectothermic, reptiles are categorized as poikilotherms, or animals whose body temperatures vary rather than remain stable.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023