Dictionary entry details
• BIOLOGICAL PROCESS (noun)
Meaning:
A process occurring in living organisms
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
Synonyms:
biological process; organic process
Hypernyms ("biological process" is a kind of...):
physical process; process (a sustained phenomenon or one marked by gradual changes through a series of states)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "biological process"):
maturation; maturement; ripening (coming to full development; becoming mature)
birth; birthing; giving birth; parturition (the process of giving birth)
pathologic process; pathological process (an organic process occurring as a consequence of disease)
perennation (the process of living through a number of years (as a perennial plant))
preservation (a process that saves organic substances from decay)
quellung; quellung reaction (the swelling of the capsule surrounding a microorganism after reaction with an antibody; the basis of certain tests for identifying microorganisms)
quickening (the process of showing signs of life)
regeneration ((biology) growth anew of lost tissue or destroyed parts or organs)
regulation ((embryology) the ability of an early embryo to continue normal development after its structure has been somehow damaged or altered)
oxidative phosphorylation (an enzymatic process in cell metabolism that synthesizes ATP from ADP)
ovulation (the expulsion of an ovum from the ovary (usually midway in the menstrual cycle))
metabolic process; metabolism; metastasis (the organic processes (in a cell or organism) that are necessary for life)
metabolism; metamorphosis (the marked and rapid transformation of a larva into an adult that occurs in some animals)
nitrogen cycle (the circulation of nitrogen; nitrates from the soil are absorbed by plants which are eaten by animals that die and decay returning the nitrogen back to the soil)
nitrogen fixation (the assimilation of atmospheric nitrogen by soil bacteria and its release for plant use on the death of the bacteria)
nondevelopment (failure of normal development to occur)
nutrition ((physiology) the organic process of nourishing or being nourished; the processes by which an organism assimilates food and uses it for growth and maintenance)
organification (the process of organ formation)
ossification (the developmental process of bone formation)
replication ((genetics) the process whereby DNA makes a copy of itself before cell division)
reproduction (the process of generating offspring)
reabsorption; resorption (the organic process in which the substance of some differentiated structure that has been produced by the body undergoes lysis and assimilation)
translation ((genetics) the process whereby genetic information coded in messenger RNA directs the formation of a specific protein at a ribosome in the cytoplasm)
folding; protein folding (the process whereby a protein molecule assumes its intricate three-dimensional shape)
translocation ((genetics) an exchange of chromosome parts)
translocation (the transport of dissolved material within a plant)
transpiration (the emission of water vapor from the leaves of plants)
tumefaction (the process of tumefying; the organic process whereby tissue becomes swollen by the accumulation of fluid within it)
ulceration (the process of ulcer formation; the process of becoming ulcerated)
vascularisation; vascularization (the organic process whereby body tissue becomes vascular and develops capillaries)
transduction ((genetics) the process of transfering genetic material from one cell to another by a plasmid or bacteriophage)
transcription ((genetics) the organic process whereby the DNA sequence in a gene is copied into mRNA; the process whereby a base sequence of messenger RNA is synthesized on a template of complementary DNA)
ageing; aging; ripening (acquiring desirable qualities by being left undisturbed for some time)
secernment; secretion (the organic process of synthesizing and releasing some substance)
segregation ((genetics) the separation of paired alleles during meiosis so that members of each pair of alleles appear in different gametes)
shedding; sloughing (the process whereby something is shed)
summation ((physiology) the process whereby multiple stimuli can produce a response (in a muscle or nerve or other part) that one stimulus alone does not produce)
symphysis (a growing together of parts or structures)
synapsis (the side by side pairing of homologous maternal and paternal chromosomes at the start of meiosis)
synezesis; synizesis (the contraction of chromatin towards one side of the nucleus during the prophase of meiosis)
blistering; vesication; vesiculation (the formation of vesicles)
lysogenisation; lysogenization (the process by which a bacterium acquires a phage that becomes integrated into its genome)
adaptation; adaption; adjustment (the process of adapting to something (such as environmental conditions))
catabolism; destructive metabolism; dissimilation; katabolism (breakdown in living organisms of more complex substances into simpler ones together with release of energy)
cell division; cellular division (the process in reproduction and growth by which a cell divides to form daughter cells)
crossing over; crossover (the interchange of sections between pairing homologous chromosomes during the prophase of meiosis)
defoliation (the loss of foliage)
deossification (the loss of the mineral content of bone tissue)
digestion (the organic process by which food is converted into substances that can be absorbed into the body)
eburnation (a change that occurs in degenerative joint disease in which bone is converted into a dense smooth substance resembling ivory)
ecchymosis (the escape of blood from ruptured blood vessels into the surrounding tissue to form a purple or black-and-blue spot on the skin)
carbon cycle (the organic circulation of carbon from the atmosphere into organisms and back again)
activity; bodily function; bodily process; body process (an organic process that takes place in the body)
agglutination (a clumping of bacteria or red cells when held together by antibodies (agglutinins))
ageing; aging; senescence (the organic process of growing older and showing the effects of increasing age)
anovulation (the absence of ovulation due to immaturity or post-maturity or pregnancy or oral contraceptive pills or dysfunction of the ovary)
antisepsis; asepsis (the process of inhibiting the growth and multiplication of microorganisms)
absorption; assimilation (the process of absorbing nutrients into the body after digestion)
autoregulation ((physiology) processes that maintain a generally constant physiological state in a cell or organism)
bacteriostasis (inhibition of the growth of bacteria)
bloom; blooming (the organic process of bearing flowers)
effacement (shortening of the uterine cervix and thinning of its walls as it is dilated during labor)
erythropoiesis (the process of producing red blood cells by the stem cells in the bone marrow)
eutrophication (excessive nutrients in a lake or other body of water, usually caused by runoff of nutrients (animal waste, fertilizers, sewage) from the land, which causes a dense growth of plant life; the decomposition of the plants depletes the supply of oxygen, leading to the death of animal life)
implantation; nidation ((embryology) the organic process whereby a fertilized egg becomes implanted in the lining of the uterus of placental mammals)
inhibition ((physiology) the process whereby nerves can retard or prevent the functioning of an organ or part)
infolding; introversion; intussusception; invagination (the folding in of an outer layer so as to form a pocket in the surface)
involution (reduction in size of an organ or part (as in the return of the uterus to normal size after childbirth))
cytokinesis (organic process consisting of the division of the cytoplasm of a cell following karyokinesis bringing about the separation into two daughter cells)
karyokinesis (organic process consisting of the division of the nucleus of a cell during mitosis or meiosis)
keratinisation; keratinization (organic process by which keratin is deposited in cells and the cells become horny (as in nails and hair))
citric acid cycle; Krebs citric acid cycle; Krebs cycle; tricarboxylic acid cycle (in all plants and animals: a series of enzymatic reactions in mitochondria involving oxidative metabolism of acetyl compounds to produce high-energy phosphate compounds that are the source of cellular energy)
epistasis; hypostasis (the suppression of a gene by the effect of an unrelated gene)
humification (the process of the formation of humus)
evolution; organic evolution; phylogenesis; phylogeny ((biology) the sequence of events involved in the evolutionary development of a species or taxonomic group of organisms)
expression ((genetics) the process of expressing a gene)
extravasation (the process of exuding or passing out of a vessel into surrounding tissues; said of blood or lymph or urine)
gastrulation (the process in which a gastrula develops from a blastula by the inward migration of cells)
glycogenesis (the formation in animals of glycogen from glucose)
development; growing; growth; maturation; ontogenesis; ontogeny ((biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level)
haematogenesis; haematopoiesis; haemogenesis; haemopoiesis; hematogenesis; hematopoiesis; hemogenesis; hemopoiesis; sanguification (the formation of blood cells in the living body (especially in the bone marrow))
heredity (the biological process whereby genetic factors are transmitted from one generation to the next)
lymphopoiesis (the formation of lymphocytes in the bone marrow and lymph nodes and thymus and spleen)
