biorhythmn.
/ˈbʌɪə(ʊ)ˌrɪðm/, U.S. /ˈbaɪoʊˌrɪðəm/ 1. A recurring cyclic variation in some aspect of a biological system; (in later use esp.) such a variation in the physiology or functioning of a living organism, as the daily cycle of sleeping and waking, or the annual cycle of dormancy and activity in some animals. Cf. chronobiology n.
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the world > life > biology > biological processes > cycles of activity > [noun] > biorhythm
biorhythm1916
biorhythmics1947
1916 Lancet 12 Feb. 335/1 An oft-repeated stimulus suffices by the establishment of a biorhythm in the cell.
1960 New Scientist 29 Sept. 849/2 It [sc. hibernation] proceeds in a biorhythm of the same sort that causes Man to sleep and waken at regular intervals.
1968 Science Year World Bk. Science Ann. 115 Symptoms of biorhythm upset, known popularly as the jet syndrome, are experienced by jet airplane travelers who fly through several time zones.
1994 Action Asia Aug.–Sept. 119/1 Without watches, cavers can lose all sense of time and start functioning to different bio-rhythms, sleeping and staying awake for longer periods of time.
2006 Jrnl. Arachnol. 34 502/2 Since all trials were run at the same period of the day, we controlled for possible biorhythms in the behaviour of the spiders.
2. Each of three supposed near-monthly cycles in a person's physical, emotional, and intellectual activity, allegedly able to explain or predict their behaviour.The lengths of the physical, emotional, and intellectual cycles are usually given as 28, 23, and 33 days respectively, with different figures sometimes given for the two sexes.
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1961 Mason City (Iowa) Globe-Gaz. 16 Aug. 17/3 Biorhythm could have won you a big fat bankroll recently! With 7 to 1 odds favoring Ingemar Johanson, biorhythm ‘proved’ that he didn't stand a fighting chance.
1986 New Health Oct. 82/3 An exclusively prepared biorhythm chart will help you at a glance to overcome those ‘off’ days and capitalize your energies during periods of peak performance.
2004 Time Out 25 Aug. 33/1 A deep but gentle touch to stimulate the body's out-of-sync biorhythms.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, November 2010; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1916