homeostasis
homeostasis — noun
1. The natural process by which a living organism or biological system keeps its in
The natural process by which a living organism or biological system keeps its internal conditions — such as body temperature, blood sugar, or pH levels — stable and within a healthy range, no matter how the outside environment changes.
Beatrix's body relies on homeostasis to keep her blood sugar steady after a large meal.
collocation: relies on homeostasis to keep [condition] steady
During a fever, homeostasis is the mechanism that returns the body's internal temperature to normal.
homeostasis is the mechanism that returns [condition] to normal
In biology class, Rachid learned how desert plants use homeostasis to keep water inside their leaves.
When Stefan's blood pressure rose during the exam, homeostasis gradually brought it back down.
The kidneys help maintain homeostasis by controlling how much water and salt the body holds onto.
- equilibrium
broader term used in physics, chemistry, and economics; lacks the active biological self-regulation that homeostasis implies
- balance
everyday word that captures the same core idea but is far less precise in scientific contexts
- steady state
technical term from systems theory describing a system whose variables stay constant over time
- disequilibrium
a state where the normal balance of a biological system is disturbed
- imbalance
general term for a lack of healthy internal conditions
文法句型
maintain / regulate / restore homeostasis
homeostasis + verb (keeps, restores, maintains)
用法筆記
Common in biology and medical writing. The word is uncountable — avoid 'a homeostasis' or 'homeostases' in standard academic English.