basal metabolic rate: Meaning and Definition of

ba'sal metabol'ic rate'

Pronunciation: [key]
— Physiol. Physiol.
  1. the 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
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.