What does homeostasis mean?
Homeostasis names the capacity of a system to preserve a relatively stable internal state despite changing conditions. In living organisms, it includes the regulation of temperature, blood pressure, fluid balance, blood sugar, pH, and many other variables. The process is dynamic rather than static: sensors detect deviations, control systems respond, and feedback mechanisms continually adjust the system toward a functional range. Homeostasis is especially important in medicine and physiology because illness can result when these regulatory processes are disrupted. The word is also used more broadly to describe any organized system that maintains balance through self-regulation, though its scientific meaning is more precise than simple stasis. It is a useful term for understanding both the stability and the constant adjustments that make living systems function.
nounHomeostasis is the dynamic state of balance in which a system, such as a living organism, maintains relatively stable internal conditions through coordinated regulatory processes. It describes both the condition of equilibrium and the processes that preserve it despite changes in the environment.
- The state of relative internal balance maintained by a living organism or other system.
- The coordinated processes that preserve such a balance, especially through feedback and regulation.
"The body maintains homeostasis by regulating temperature, blood pressure, fluid levels, and blood glucose."
"Adequate sleep supports the body's homeostasis and helps regulate hormone levels."
"Thermostats illustrate homeostasis because they adjust heating and cooling to maintain a stable temperature."
The plural is uncommon in general writing but is used in scientific and academic discussion.
"Different homeostases operate across the levels of an organism."
Homeostasis is not stillness: the body stays healthy by continually adjusting, like a thermostat that keeps changing its output to hold temperature steady.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does homeostasis come from?
Homeostasis combines the Greek roots homoios, meaning “same” or “similar,” and stasis, meaning “standing” or “standing still.” The term was popularized by the physiologist Walter Bradford Cannon in the early twentieth century. Its imagery is that of a steady state maintained through coordinated change, and its related forms homeostatic and homeostatically derive from the same concept.
Related word forms
How homeostasis is actually used
Homeostasis is primarily used in biology, physiology, ecology, and systems theory. In everyday English, it is often used metaphorically for a stable balance in organizations, markets, or personal circumstances, although the scientific term specifically refers to a system's regulation of internal conditions.