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Biology vocabulary · Molecules of Life and Metabolism

Metabolism

Meaning in biology, with examples

/məˈtæbəlɪzəm/nounCore term

In biology, metabolism means: All the chemical reactions that take place in a living thing to keep it alive, including breaking down food for energy and building new molecules.

In Turkish: metabolizma

How it is used

Divided into catabolism (breaking down) and anabolism (building up). Biochemists talk about metabolic pathways, metabolic rate and metabolites. The verb is metabolize: the liver metabolizes many drugs.

Example sentences

  1. Small mammals have a much faster metabolism per gram of body weight than large ones.

  2. Thyroid hormones regulate the body's metabolism.

Common collocations

  • metabolic pathway
  • metabolic rate
  • energy metabolism
  • glucose metabolism
  • enzymeA molecule, usually a protein, that speeds up a chemical reaction in a living thing without being used up. Each enzyme acts on a specific substrate at its active site.
  • cellular respirationThe process by which cells break down glucose and other food molecules to release energy and store it as ATP. When oxygen is used, carbon dioxide and water are produced.
  • ATPShort for adenosine triphosphate, the molecule that cells use to store and transfer energy. Breaking off one of its phosphate groups releases energy for cell work.
  • homeostasisThe ability of an organism or cell to keep its internal conditions, such as temperature, water balance and blood sugar, stable while the outside world changes.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Molecules of Life and Metabolism

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