Definition of "metabolism" []

• The chemical processes occurring within a living cell or organism that are necessary for the maintenance of life. In metabolism some substances are broken down to yield energy for vital processes while other substances, necessary for life, are synthesized. (noun)
• The processing of a specific substance within the living body: water metabolism; iodine metabolism. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Their metabolism is way down so they go slow and eat small things."
• "Clearance of drugs with a low rate of hepatic extraction is especially dependent on the rate of liver metabolism. 7 Drugs which have low intrinsic clearance rates will have a corresponding decrease in metabolism with decreased hepatic function. 7 Clearance of drugs with a high rate of hepatic extraction will be mostly dependent on the rate of hepatic blood flow. 7 This can be diminished, as mentioned earlier, making these drugs more bioavailable."
• "When you then get down to a lower weight, the damage to metabolism is still there, invisible, affecting all your efforts to control your weight."