metabolism
The organic and chemical processes in an organism that are necessary to maintain life, converting food into energy and cellular building blocks.
Refers to the entire complex of physical and chemical reactions within a living body, though casually used to mean 'rate of burning calories'.
Word relationships
- bioenergetics: Bioenergetics specifically studies energy flow through living systems, whereas metabolism encompasses both energy production and structural synthesis.
Commonly confused with
- digestion: Digestion is merely the mechanical and chemical breakdown of food in the gut, whereas metabolism happens inside cells throughout the entire body.
Word family
- metabolic (adjective): Relating to or caused by metabolism.
- metabolize (verb): To break down or process substances chemically in a living body.
Collocations
- basal metabolism
- slow metabolism
- boost metabolism
- metabolic rate
Example sentences
- "Thyroid hormones play a central role in regulating basal metabolism and cellular respiration." Medical physiology
- "Regular resistance training helps elevate resting metabolism by increasing lean muscle mass." Fitness discussion
Memory hook
Meta-CHANGE-ism: Your body THROWS (ballein) food into a chemical forge to CHANGE it into pure energy. Metabole = Change into energy
When not to use
Do not use to describe emotional states or mental quickness; it strictly concerns physiological bioenergetics.
Fun facts
- Hummingbirds have the fastest metabolism of any warm-blooded animal; their hearts beat up to 1,200 times per minute to support it.
Related words
Explore more words
ferment, enzyme, photosynthesis, fermentation, consumption, Synthesis
Our English vocabulary app: FSRS spaced repetition, 5,000+ curated words across 119 topic groups, CEFR A1 to C2. Explore your mastery with the beautiful Vocabulary World feature.