microorganism
UK /ˌmaɪ.kɹəʊˈɔː.ɡəˌnɪz.m̩/ · US /ˌmaɪ.kɹoʊˈɔɹ.ɡəˌnɪz.m̩/ noun
Forms microorganisms micro-organism
- noun (microbiology) An organism that is too small to be seen by the unaided eye; especially, a single-celled organism, such as a bacterium. “The cud is then reswallowed by the ruminant and further digested by specialized microorganisms that live in the rumen.”
Synonyms
Etymology
Micro- + organism.
Webster’s 1913
- noun Any microscopic form of life; --particularly applied to bacteria and similar organisms, esp. such are supposed to cause infectious diseases.
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “microorganism”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details