Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

homeostasis

/ˌhoʊ.mi.oʊˈsteɪ.sɪs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.74 in modern English

Syllables: home-osta-sis
IPA: /ˌhoʊ.mi.oʊˈsteɪ.sɪs/

16

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

5

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The ability of a system or living organism to adjust its internal environment to maintain a state of dynamic constancy; such as the ability of warm-blooded animals to maintain a stable temperature.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

Such a dynamic equilibrium or balance.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"His most important work concentrated on the complexities of chemical neurotransmission (for which Otto Loewi received a Nobel Prize in 1936) and on “homeostasis” (a term coined by Cannon in 1926), the maintenance of steady states in the body and the physiological processes through which they are regulated."
"When homeostasis is disrupted by an external stressor - such as injury, lack of nutrients, or invasion by parasites or other organisms - illness may occur."

Etymology

Coined from Ancient Greek ὅμοιος (hómoios, “similar, the same”) + -stasis by Walter Bradford Cannon, from Ancient Greek στάσις (stásis, “standing, state”).

Origin

Source language: Ancient Greek

Word Breakdown

Root: στάσις

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˌhoʊ.mi.oʊˈsteɪ.sɪs/
British English: /ˌhɒmɪə(ʊ)ˈsteɪsɪs/

Usage

Inflected Forms

homeostases (plural) homoeostasis (alternative) homœostasis (alternative)

Derived Forms

dyshomeostasis homeostasome homeostatic immunohomeostasis neurohomeostasis osmohomeostasis

Phrases

metal homeostasis

Frequently Paired Words

stasis proteostasis

Rhymes With

basis glacis oasis stasis crasis chronostasis aminostasis

Questions

How do you pronounce homeostasis?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌhoʊ.mi.oʊˈsteɪ.sɪs/.
What does homeostasis mean?: The ability of a system or living organism to adjust its internal environment to maintain a state of dynamic constancy; such as the ability of warm-blooded animals to maintain a stable temperature.
Where does homeostasis come from?: It is traced to Ancient Greek.

How to pronounce homeostasis

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