anaerobic

adjective an·aer·o·bic \ˌa-nə-ˈrō-bik; ˌan-ˌer-ˈō-\

of exercise : strengthening muscles by forcing them to work very hard for a brief time

: not using oxygen

Full Definition of ANAEROBIC

a : living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen <anaerobic respiration> <anaerobic bacteria>

b : of, relating to, or being activity in which the body incurs an oxygen debt <anaerobic exercise>

: relating to or induced by anaerobes

— an·aer·o·bi·cal·ly \-bi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

See anaerobic defined for English-language learners

See anaerobic defined for kids

First Known Use of ANAEROBIC

circa 1881

Other Biology Terms

autochthonous, fecund, homunculus, phylogeny, substrate

Rhymes with ANAEROBIC

acrophobic, aerophobic, Anglophobic, claustrophobic, homophobic, hydrophobic, photophobic, technophobic, xenophobic

Medical Dictionary

anaerobic

adjective an·aer·o·bic \ˌan-ə-ˈrō-bik; ˌan-ˌa(-ə)r-ˈō-, -ˌe(-ə)r-\

Medical Definition of ANAEROBIC

a : living, active, or occurring in the absence of free oxygen <during heavy exercise anaerobic respiration occurs, pyruvic acid acts as a hydrogen acceptor, and lactic acid builds up in the tissues> b : of, relating to, or being activity in which the body incurs an oxygen debt <anaerobic sports> <an anaerobic workout>

: relating to or induced by anaerobes

—an·aer·o·bi·cal·ly \-bi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb