Meanings
plural ectotherms
- biologyA cold-blooded animal: one, such as an amphibian, fish, reptile, or arthropod, which has a limited ability to regulate its body temperature and whose body temperature thus depends on the ambient temperature.
Synonyms: poikilotherm · Antonyms: endotherm, homeotherm, homoeotherm, homoiotherm, homotherm
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA cold-blooded animal: one, such as an amphibian, fish, reptile, or arthropod, which has a limited ability to regulate its body temperature and whose body temperature thus depends on the ambient temperature.
More synonyms by meaning
nounan animal whose body temperature varies with the temperature of its surroundings; any animal except birds and mammals
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Finnish vaihtolämpöinen
- vaihtolämpöinenanimal with limited ability to regulate its body temperature
Cite this entry
ectotherm. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ectotherm
“ectotherm.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ectotherm. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ectotherm,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ectotherm.
Source: ectotherm on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.