brown fat

noun

: a mammalian heat-producing tissue occurring especially in human fetuses and newborn infants and in hibernating animals

called also brown adipose tissue

Examples of brown fat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Less brown fat may help explain why some people with obesity can have lower body temperatures than those who aren’t obese, and why there has been a decline in average body temperature in the U.S. since the industrial revolution. Christopher Damman, Discover Magazine, 12 Sep. 2024 Please Mind the Microbiome Gap A healthy microbiome produces a full range of beneficial metabolites that support calorie-burning brown fat, muscle endurance and metabolic health. Christopher Damman, Discover Magazine, 12 Sep. 2024 It has been found to affect the body's metabolism, promoting fat browning (conversion of white fat cells into brown fat cells) and enhancing thermogenesis (the production of heat by the body). Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024 Researchers found that lower temperatures prompted the body to convert more white adipose tissue into disposable brown fat for heat, according to a 2012 study in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Max Bennett, Discover Magazine, 8 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for brown fat 

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brown fat was in 1902

Dictionary Entries Near brown fat

Cite this Entry

“Brown fat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brown%20fat. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

brown fat

noun
: a mammalian heat-producing tissue occurring especially in human fetuses and newborn infants and in hibernating animals

called also brown adipose tissue

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