Word.ws English Dictionary

allostasis

allostasis noun: the process of achieving stability, or homeostasis, in the body, through physiological or behavioral change.

Noun

allostasis (uncountable)

  1. The process of achieving stability, or homeostasis, in the body, through physiological or behavioral change.
    • This system of so-called allostasis, of maintaining control through constant change, stands in contrast to the mechanisms of homeostasis that keep the pH level and oxygen concentration in the blood within a narrow and invariant range.2009 August 18, Natalie Angier, “Brain Is a Co-Conspirator in a Vicious Stress Loop”, in New York Times

Origin of allostasis

From Ancient Greek ἄλλος (állos) + στάσις (stásis).

Words formed from allostasis

Questions about allostasis

What does allostasis mean?
Allostasis means the process of achieving stability, or homeostasis, in the body, through physiological or behavioral change.
What part of speech is allostasis?
Allostasis is a noun.

Words near allostasis in the dictionary

  1. allospecificities
  2. allospecificity
  3. allospecifics
  4. allosperm
  5. allosperms
  6. allostasis
  7. allostatic
  8. allostatically
  9. allosteric
  10. allosterical
  11. allosterically

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: allostasis (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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