bodily function

Related to bodily function: bodily fluid

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Noun

bodily function - an organic process that takes place in the body; "respiratory activity"

control - (physiology) regulation or maintenance of a function or action or reflex etc; "the timing and control of his movements were unimpaired"; "he had lost control of his sphincters"

breathing, external respiration, respiration, ventilation - the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation

respiration - a single complete act of breathing in and out; "thirty respirations per minute"

breath - the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing; "he took a deep breath and dived into the pool"; "he was fighting to his last breath"

consumption, ingestion, intake, uptake - the process of taking food into the body through the mouth (as by eating)

sex activity, sexual activity, sexual practice - activities associated with sexual intercourse; "they had sex in the back seat"

insemination - the introduction of semen into the genital tract of a female

sleeping - the suspension of consciousness and decrease in metabolic rate

response, reaction - a bodily process occurring due to the effect of some antecedent stimulus or agent; "a bad reaction to the medicine"; "his responses have slowed with age"

crying, tears, weeping - the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds); "I hate to hear the crying of a child"; "she was in tears"

ablactation - the cessation of lactation

anastalsis - muscular action of the alimentary tract in a direction opposite to peristalsis

expelling, discharge, emission - any of several bodily processes by which substances go out of the body; "the discharge of pus"

expectoration - the process of coughing up and spitting out

festering, suppuration, maturation - (medicine) the formation of morbific matter in an abscess or a vesicle and the discharge of pus

healing - the natural process by which the body repairs itself

hypostasis - the accumulation of blood in an organ

lachrymation, lacrimation, tearing, watering - shedding tears

lactation - the production and secretion of milk by the mammary glands

opsonisation, opsonization - process whereby opsonins make an invading microorganism more susceptible to phagocytosis

biological process, organic process - a process occurring in living organisms

overactivity - excessive activity; "overactivity of the sebaceous glands causes the skin to become oily"

peristalsis, vermiculation - the process of wavelike muscle contractions of the alimentary tract that moves food along

diaphoresis, hidrosis, sudation, sweating, perspiration - the process of the sweat glands of the skin secreting a salty fluid; "perspiration is a homeostatic process"

phagocytosis - process in which phagocytes engulf and digest microorganisms and cellular debris; an important defense against infection

pinocytosis - process by which certain cells can engulf and incorporate droplets of fluid

placentation - the formation of the placenta in the uterus

psilosis - falling out of hair

tanning - process in which skin pigmentation darkens as a result of exposure to ultraviolet light

transpiration - the process of giving off or exhaling water vapor through the skin or mucous membranes

References in classic literature ?

Hitherto each individual desire, aroused by suffering or privation, such as hunger, fatigue, thirst, had been satisfied by some bodily function giving pleasure.

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She had a genteel refinement which shuddered at the facts of life, she looked upon the bodily functions as indecent, she had all sorts of euphemisms for common objects, she always chose an elaborate word as more becoming than a simple one: the brutality of these men was like a whip on her thin white shoulders, and she shuddered with voluptuous pain.

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Patrick Windhorst, a freshman from Metropolis and a former Massac County state's attorney, proposed to outlaw the procedure in Illinois once the fetus becomes viable, except when a woman's life or "major bodily function" is threatened.

Metropolis Republican proposes bill that would restrict access to late-term abortion

Hidrosis is the medical term for which bodily function? 7.

QUICK QUIZ

Research indicates that despite exercise, a person's daily movement is a major indicator of their bodily function, according to a study published in the March issue of AJPH.

Everyday movement promotes function

Eating's very personal, like a bodily function. I have never eaten at a charity dinner or on a plane."

TODAY'S QUOTES

Eating's very personal, like a bodily function. I have never eaten at a charity dinner or on a plane" - Ricky Wilson, musician and judge on The Voice.

TODAY'S QUOTES

"It cancels out those days when I've been writing those bodily function jokes," he says.

The Simpsons' math secrets

This book explores all aspects of this bodily function. Famous farters and where the humour originated from is explored throughout the section on history.

Jones, Andy (text) David Puekeridge (illus.): The FART-ionary

Of all the inventors in the whole world, one who shares a slang expression for a bodily function created an appliance thats sole purpose is to deal with that bodily function.

I'm going around the ' U-bend as toilet farce plumbs new depths... '

Eleven American academic--including six contributors new to this edition--contribute 43 chapters to an updated medical education textbook which uses an organ system-based approach to describe all of the mechanisms that control and regulate bodily function. The material has been revised throughout for increased clarity and to reflect the latest knowledge in the field of physiology, and is now accompanied by full-color illustrations, tables, and diagrams.