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Biology vocabulary · Microbiology

Microorganism

Meaning in biology, with examples

/ˌmaɪkroʊˈɔːrɡənɪzəm/nounCore term

In biology, microorganism means: A living thing too small to see without a microscope, such as a bacterium, a yeast or a single-celled alga. Viruses are often studied alongside them.

In Turkish: mikroorganizma, mikrop

How it is used

A formal word used in microbiology, food science and medicine. The shorter, less formal word is microbe; 'germ' is everyday language for harmful ones. The study of microorganisms is microbiology.

Example sentences

  1. A single gram of soil can contain billions of microorganisms.

  2. Pasteurization kills most of the harmful microorganisms in milk.

Common collocations

  • harmful microorganisms
  • beneficial microorganisms
  • soil microorganisms
  • pathogenic microorganism
  • bacteriaSingle-celled microorganisms without a nucleus that live almost everywhere, from soil and water to the human gut. Most are harmless or useful; some cause disease.
  • virusA tiny infectious particle made of genetic material (DNA or RNA) inside a protein coat. It can only make copies of itself inside a living host cell.
  • fungusA member of the group of organisms that includes yeasts, molds and mushrooms. Fungi feed on organic material and have cell walls made of chitin.
  • pathogenA microorganism or virus that causes disease in its host, such as certain bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites.
  • cultureA population of microorganisms or cells grown in the lab in a nutrient medium under controlled conditions. As a verb, it means to grow them in this way.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Microbiology

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