Definition of "homeostasis"

homeostasis

/ˌhɒmɪə(ʊ)ˈsteɪsɪs/

noun
countable and uncountable, plural homeostases
1. (physiology) The ability of a system or living organism to adjust its internal environment to maintain a state of dynamic constancy; such as the ability of warm-blooded animals to maintain a stable temperature.
  Quotations
  His most important work concentrated on the complexities of chemical neurotransmission (for which Otto Loewi received a Nobel Prize in 1936) and on “homeostasis” (a term coined by Cannon in 1926), the maintenance of steady states in the body and the physiological processes through which they are regulated.
  2002, "Walter Bradford Cannon" in American Journal of Physiology, 92(10):1594-5, DOI 10.2105/AJPH.92.10.1594
  When homeostasis is disrupted by an external stressor - such as injury, lack of nutrients, or invasion by parasites or other organisms - illness may occur.
  2011, Professional Guide to Pathophysiology, Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins, page 1
2. Such a dynamic equilibrium or balance.