respiratory quotient

noun Physiology.

the ratio of the amount of carbon dioxide released by the lungs to the amount of oxygen taken in during a given period.

Origin of respiratory quotient

First recorded in 1885–90

Words nearby respiratory quotient

respiratory failure, respiratory lobule, respiratory minute volume, respiratory pause, respiratory pigment, respiratory quotient, respiratory scleroma, respiratory syncytial virus, respiratory system, respiratory tract, respire

British Dictionary definitions for respiratory quotient

respiratory quotient

noun

biology the ratio of the volume of carbon dioxide expired to the volume of oxygen consumed by an organism, tissue, or cell in a given time

Medical definitions for respiratory quotient

respiratory quotient

n.

The ratio of carbon dioxide produced by tissue metabolism to oxygen consumed in the same metabolism.