homoiothermic
- adjective
- /ˌhoʊmɔɪəˈθɜrmɪk/
- Specialized
:
homeotérmico
- Birds are considered homoiothermic because they maintain a stable body temperature regardless of the weather.
Examples
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Many mammals are homoiothermic, allowing them to thrive in diverse climates without a significant change in their body temperature.
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The homoiothermic nature of these animals helps them remain active during cold seasons.
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For example, the aquatic studies did not include larger homoiothermic organisms, and data were biased toward smaller organisms occupying low trophic levels.
Academic text (2010)
Synonyms
4
3.5
An animal that keeps a steady temperature inside its body, like humans and birds
Keeping a steady, fairly high body temperature no matter the weather
Animals such as birds and mammals that keep a steady warm body temperature no matter the weather
Antonyms
How Constant
Surface Forms
Morphology
homoiothermic = homoiotherm (semi-transparent) = homoi + therm + ic
Formed from Greek combining forms homoi(o)- 'same' + therm- 'heat' plus the adjective suffix '-ic'; the parts are technical combining forms that yield a deducible meaning for learners familiar with 'therm-' or 'homeo-', but opaque to average learners.
Etymology
Homoiothermic comes from Greek parts homoi- meaning 'same' and therm- meaning 'heat', the same 'therm' you see in thermometer or thermal. So a homoiothermic animal keeps the 'same heat' inside its body, which is why birds and mammals have a steady body temperature.