brown fat

noun

brownish-yellow adipose tissue in the upper back, or interscapular, region of many mammals, most conspicuously in hibernating species and human newborns, composed of numerous innervated fat cells that can produce heat during cold stress; thermogenic tissue.

Origin of brown fat

First recorded in 1950–55

Words nearby brown fat

brown cow, brown creeper, brown deer, brown dwarf, brown earth, brown fat, brown goods, brown hackle, brown heart, brown hyena, brown induration of the lung

British Dictionary definitions for brown fat

brown fat

noun

tissue composed of a type of fat cell that dissipates as heat most of the energy released when food is oxidized; brown adipose tissue. It is present in hibernating animals and human babies and is thought to be important in adult weight control