dissimilation

• Nom désignant un processus par lequel des éléments semblables deviennent moins semblables; utilisé en linguistique pour décrire des changements phonétiques et en biologie pour la dégradation métabolique de substances complexes en substances plus simples avec libération d'énergie.

A noun referring to a process in which similar elements become less alike, used in linguistics for sound changes and in biology for the metabolic breakdown of complex substances into simpler ones with energy release.

1. Linguistic processC1formal

   A change in speech sounds where one of two similar or identical sounds in a word becomes different or less like the other, often to make pronunciation easier.

   Dissimilation (linguistique)

   • The change from Latin 'peregrinus' to Italian 'pellegrino' shows dissimilation of the first 'r' to 'l'.
   • Dissimilation often occurs in languages to avoid repeating the same sound.
   • The word 'marble' comes from Latin 'marmor' through a process of dissimilation.

2. Biological processC1formalscientific

   The metabolic breakdown of complex substances within living organisms into simpler compounds, which releases energy.

   dissimilation biologique

   • Cellular respiration is a key example of dissimilation in animals.
   • During dissimilation, nutrients are broken down to provide energy for the organism.
   • Plants also undergo dissimilation, especially at night when they break down stored starches.

   Synonymescatabolismkatabolism

   Antonymesassimilation