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The Collaborative International Dictionary
anabolism

Metabolism \Me*tab"o*lism\, n. (Physiol.)

  1. The act or process, by which living tissues or cells take up and convert into their own proper substance the nutritive material brought to them by the blood, or by which they transform their cell protoplasm into simpler substances, which are fitted either for excretion or for some special purpose, as in the manufacture of the digestive enzymes. Hence, metabolism may be either constructive ( anabolism), or destructive ( catabolism).

  2. (Biol.) The series of chemical changes which take place in an organism, by means of which food is manufactured and utilized and waste materials are eliminated.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
anabolism

1886; see anabolic + -ism.

Wiktionary
anabolism

n. The constructive metabolism of the body, as distinguished from catabolism.

WordNet
anabolism

n. synthesis of more complex substances from simpler ones [syn: constructive metabolism] [ant: catabolism]

Wikipedia
Anabolism

Anabolism (from , "upward" and , "to throw") is the set of metabolic pathways that construct molecules from smaller units. These reactions require energy. One way of categorizing metabolic processes, whether at the cellular, organ or organism level, is as "anabolic", or as " catabolic" which is the opposite. Anabolism is powered by catabolism, where large molecules are broken down into smaller parts and then used up in cellular respiration. Many anabolic processes are powered by the hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

Anabolic processes tend toward "building up" organs and tissues. These processes produce growth and differentiation of cells and increase in body size, a process that involves synthesis of complex molecules. Examples of anabolic processes include the growth and mineralization of bone and increases in muscle mass. Endocrinologists have traditionally classified hormones as anabolic or catabolic, depending on which part of metabolism they stimulate. The classic anabolic hormones are the anabolic steroids, which stimulate protein synthesis, muscle growth, and insulin. The balance between anabolism and catabolism is also regulated by circadian rhythms, with processes such as glucose metabolism fluctuating to match an animal's normal periods of activity throughout the day.

Usage examples of "anabolism".

Biological processes of some sort were taking place here, anabolism, catabolism, ingestion, respiration, reproduction, whatever.

An unbiological order, I call it, because it obeys none of the natural laws of hereditary and environmental change, pays no attention to the survival of the fittest, positively sneers at any attempt on the part of man to work out a rational life cycle, is possibly immortal, unquestionably immoral, evidences anabolism but not katabolism, ruts, spawns, and breeds but does not reproduce, lays no eggs, builds no nests, seeks but does not find, wanders but does not rest.

Biological processes of some sort were taking place here, anabolism, catabolism, ingestion, respiration, reproduction, whatever.