homeothermic

adjective

ho·​meo·​ther·​mic ˌhō-mē-ō-ˈthər-mik How to pronounce homeothermic (audio)
variants or less commonly homoiothermic
hō-ˌmȯi-ə-ˈthər-mik How to pronounce homeothermic (audio)
: having a relatively uniform body temperature maintained nearly independent of the environmental temperature : warm-blooded
There are several mechanisms by which homeothermic animals increase their heat production, including shivering, sympathetic nervous system activation and stimulation of thyroid hormone secretion.—J. E. Silva et al.
homeotherm
ˈhō-mē-ə-ˌthərm How to pronounce homeothermic (audio)
noun
or less commonly homoiotherm
hō-ˈmȯi-ə-ˌthərm How to pronounce homeothermic (audio)
homeothermy
ˈhō-mē-ə-ˌthər-mē How to pronounce homeothermic (audio)
noun
or less commonly homoiothermy
hō-ˈmȯi-ə-ˌthər-mē How to pronounce homeothermic (audio)

Word History

First Known Use

1870, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of homeothermic was in 1870

Dictionary Entries Near homeothermic

homeostasis

homeothermic

homeotic

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Homeothermic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/homeothermic. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Medical Definition

homeothermic

adjective
ho·​meo·​ther·​mic ˌhō-mē-ə-ˈthər-mik How to pronounce homeothermic (audio)
variants also homoiothermic
hō-ˌmȯi-ə- How to pronounce homeothermic (audio)
or homoiothermal
-ˈthər-məl How to pronounce homeothermic (audio)
: warm-blooded
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...