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respiratory quotient

American  

noun

Physiology.
  1. the ratio of the amount of carbon dioxide released by the lungs to the amount of oxygen taken in during a given period.


respiratory quotient British  

noun

  1. biology the ratio of the volume of carbon dioxide expired to the volume of oxygen consumed by an organism, tissue, or cell in a given time

"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

Etymology

Origin of respiratory quotient

First recorded in 1885–90