What does homoeotherm mean?
A homoeotherm is an animal that maintains a relatively constant internal body temperature. Birds and mammals are the principal examples: they generate substantial heat through metabolism and regulate its loss or retention through physiological mechanisms such as sweating, shivering, changes in blood flow, and behavioral responses to temperature. The term is a less common spelling variant of homeotherm, and both can be contrasted with ectotherms, whose body temperatures depend more heavily on external conditions. The distinction is not absolute: a homoeotherm may undergo substantial temperature changes during hibernation, and “relative” constancy allows for ordinary daily and seasonal variation. In technical biology, the word is useful for identifying the thermoregulatory strategy of an organism rather than merely describing whether it produces metabolic heat. For example, a bird is both endothermic, because it produces heat internally, and homoeothermic, because it regulates that heat to keep its body temperature comparatively stable.
nounAn animal that maintains a relatively constant internal body temperature, typically through metabolic heat production and physiological regulation. The term is a less common spelling variant of homeotherm.
- An animal that maintains a relatively constant internal body temperature, especially one that produces most of its own heat metabolically.
"The hibernating bat is a homoeotherm despite the large changes in its body temperature during dormancy."
"Most birds and mammals are homoeotherms, maintaining stable body temperatures across a wide range of environmental temperatures."
"The zoologist explained that the penguin is a homoeotherm even though it lives in a very cold environment."
The regular plural adds -s; the plural form is used when referring to multiple animals that maintain relatively constant body temperatures.
"Birds and mammals are the best-known homoeotherms."
A homoeotherm turns metabolism into a thermostat, using generated heat and physiological controls to keep its internal temperature remarkably steady.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does homoeotherm come from?
The word combines New Latin homoeo-, from Greek homoios, meaning “similar” or “like,” with Greek thermē, meaning “heat.” It was developed as a more explicit form of homeotherm, in which homeo- similarly conveys sameness or similarity. Its components and related scientific terms, including thermal, thermic, thermometer, and isotherm, all derive from the same Greek root for heat.
Related word forms
How homoeotherm is actually used
This is a specialized biological term and is less common than the spelling homeotherm. It is usually used in zoology and comparative physiology, particularly when discussing the contrast between constant-temperature and environmentally dependent body temperatures.
Easily confused with homoeotherm
Both terms denote an animal that maintains a relatively constant body temperature, but homoeotherm is a less common spelling variant of homeotherm.
An endotherm produces metabolic heat, whereas a homoeotherm is defined by its ability to maintain a relatively stable body temperature.