endothermy
(ˈɛndəʊθɜːmɪ)
[f. endo- + Gr. θερµός heat + -y3.]
(See quot. 1922).
| 1922 Lancet 3 June 1109/1 Endothermy is the production of heat in the tissues from within, the active electrode being cold when applied, the process differing therefore from other methods of cauterisation by heat. 1933 Times (Electricity Supply No.) 5 Dec. p. xxiii/6 Endothermy, a modification of diathermy..which enables him to carry out certain operations that were previously impossible. |
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Add: [2.] Zool. The internal generation of heat by the body of an animal as a means of controlling its temperature.
| 1949 Evolution III. 195/2 There are various degrees of perfection in the state of endothermy, and the active, ectothermic lizard in the desert is scarcely to be called ‘cold-blooded’. 1964 Ecology XLV. 520 (heading) Growth rate and development of endothermy in the snow bunting. 1976 Physiol. Zool. XLIX. 152 Circumstantial evidence suggests that endothermy [in Dipodomys merriami] develops at an early age. 1984 Sci. Amer. July 66/2 Continuous swimming and endothermy call for much energy in the form of food, hence tunas must search the ocean at a steady high speed. |