Homeotherms

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Organisms capable of regulating their internal temperature regardless of external conditions
2. Animals that keep their body heat constant without depending on the surrounding environment
3. Living beings that sustain a fixed body temperature through physiological mechanisms

Etymology: "Homeotherms" is the plural of "homeotherm," so it is simply the name for a group of animals rather than a word with its own separate history. The term is built from two Greek-derived elements. "Homeo-" comes from Greek "homoios," meaning "similar" or "like," and it appears in English words such as "homeopathy" and "homeostasis." The second element, "-therm," comes from Greek "thermē," meaning "heat," the same root that gives us "thermometer" and "thermal." Put together, the parts describe animals that keep a constant or similar body heat. The word is a technical coinage from these classical roots, formed for biology and physiology rather than inherited from ancient usage. Ancient Greeks had no such term, since the scientific distinction between animals that regulate their own temperature and those that depend on their surroundings was made in modern times.

Synonyms: warm-blooded animals, endotherms, thermoregulators, mammals, birds

Antonyms: poikilotherms, cold-blooded animals, ectotherms, reptiles, amphibians