Homeostasis

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  homeostasis \homeostasis\ n.
     The ability and tendency of certain systems to maintain a
     relatively constant internal state in spite of changes in
     external conditions; this ability is achieved by the presence
     of feedback mechanisms which can adjust the state of the
     system to compensate for changes in the state caused by the


     external environment. It is exemplified in homeothermal
     biological systems, such as animals which maintain relatively
     constant blood temperature and composition in spite of
     variations in external temperature or the composition of the
     food ingested.
     [PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

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

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  30 Moby Thesaurus words for "homeostasis":
     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