n. 新陈代谢, 变态

[化] 新陈代谢; 代谢

[医] [新陈]代谢

Metabolism \Me*tab"o*lism\, n. (Physiol.)
1. The act or process, by which living tissues or cells take
up and convert into their own proper substance the
nutritive material brought to them by the blood, or by
which they transform their cell protoplasm into simpler
substances, which are fitted either for excretion or for
some special purpose, as in the manufacture of the
digestive enzymes. Hence, metabolism may be either
constructive ({anabolism}), or destructive ({catabolism}).

2. (Biol.) The series of chemical changes which take place in
an organism, by means of which food is manufactured and
utilized and waste materials are eliminated.
[Webster 1913 Suppl.]