Adjacent Words

homeostasis definitions

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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: (physiology) metabolic equilibrium actively maintained by several complex biological mechanisms that operate via the autonomic nervous system to offset disrupting changes

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: New Latin Date: 1926 a relatively stable state of equilibrium or a tendency toward such a state between the different but interdependent elements or groups of elements of an organism, population, or group • homeostatic adjective

Britannica Concise

Any self-regulating process by which a biological or mechanical system maintains stability while adjusting to changing conditions. Systems in dynamic equilibrium reach a balance in which internal change continuously compensates for external change in a feedback control process to keep conditions relatively uniform. An example is temperature regulation--mechanically in a room by a thermostat or biologically in the body by a complex system controlled by the hypothalamus, which adjusts breathing and metabolic rates, blood-vessel dilation, and blood-sugar level in response to changes caused by factors incl. ambient temperature, hormones, and disease.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

US var. of HOMOEOSTASIS.

Moby Thesaurus

aplomb, balance, balanced personality, constancy, cool, equilibrium, fastness, firmness, imperturbability, invariability, nerve, reliability, rootedness, sang-froid, secureness, security, solidity, soundness, stability, stable equilibrium, stable state, steadfastness, steadiness, steady nerves, steady state, substantiality, undeflectability, uniformity, unshakable nerves, unshakableness