bodily function - an organic process that takes place in the body; "respiratory activity"control - (physiology) regulation or maintenance of a function or action or reflex etc; "the timing and control of his movements were unimpaired"; "he had lost control of his sphincters" respiration - a single complete act of breathing in and out; "thirty respirations per minute" breath - the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing; "he took a deep breath and dived into the pool"; "he was fighting to his last breath" insemination - the introduction of semen into the genital tract of a female sleeping - the suspension of consciousness and decrease in metabolic rate response, reaction - a bodily process occurring due to the effect of some antecedent stimulus or agent; "a bad reaction to the medicine"; "his responses have slowed with age" crying, tears, weeping - the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds); "I hate to hear the crying of a child"; "she was in tears" anastalsis - muscular action of the alimentary tract in a direction opposite to peristalsis healing - the natural process by which the body repairs itself hypostasis - the accumulation of blood in an organ lactation - the production and secretion of milk by the mammary glands overactivity - excessive activity; "overactivity of the sebaceous glands causes the skin to become oily" phagocytosis - process in which phagocytes engulf and digest microorganisms and cellular debris; an important defense against infection pinocytosis - process by which certain cells can engulf and incorporate droplets of fluid tanning - process in which skin pigmentation darkens as a result of exposure to ultraviolet light transpiration - the process of giving off or exhaling water vapor through the skin or mucous membranes |