catabolism: Meaning and Definition of

ca•tab•o•lism

Pronunciation: (ku-tab'u-liz"um), [key]
— n. Biol., Physiol.
  1. destructive metabolism; the breaking down in living organisms of more complex substances into simpler ones, with the release of energy (opposed to anabolism).
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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