metabolism

Etymology

From Ancient Greek μεταβολή (metabolḗ, “change”) + -ism, from μεταβάλλω (metabállō, “I change, I alter”) + -η (-ē, “action noun suffix”).

noun

1. (physiology) The chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life.
2. (figurative, by extension) The processes that maintain any dynamic system.
   The results of this generalized speedup of the corporate metabolism are multiple: shorter product life cycles, more leasing and renting, more frequent buying and selling, more ephemeral consumption patterns, […] 1980, Alvin Toffler, The Third Wave, page 230