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respiratory quotient

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.

Origin of respiratory quotient

First recorded in 1885–90
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for respiratory quotient

respiratory quotient

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
respiratory quotient in Medicine

respiratory quotient

n.
  1. The ratio of carbon dioxide produced by tissue metabolism to oxygen consumed in the same metabolism.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.