WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
ba′sal metabol′ic rate′, [Physiol.]
- Physiologythe rate at which energy is expended in a basal condition, calculated as calories per hour per square meter of body surface and compared with a normal standard expressed as the percentage above or below the amount of oxygen normally used at rest, -15 to +5 percent being considered normal. Abbr.: BMR
- 1920–25
'basal metabolic rate' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):