Microorganism Meaning
/ˌmaɪ.kɹəʊˈɔː.ɡəˌnɪz.m̩/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounAn organism that is too small to be seen by the unaided eye; especially, a single-celled organism, such as a bacterium.
Sentence Examples
Tom succeeded in culturing the new microorganism.
The alien microorganism grew faster.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The biologist studied a single ____ under the microscope to understand its structure.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A single ____ can be seen under a strong microscope, revealing a complex world of biological activity invisible to the naked eye.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey-der.? Ancient Greek μικρός (mikrós)der. English micro- English organism English microorganism From micro- + organism.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Bacillus anthracis: from the first up to the sixth day, this microorganism was isolatable, or in other words still alive."
— 1957, Communicationes Veterinariae - Volumes 1-3, page 52:
"The differences in biofilm penetration patterns of both tested photosensitisers and the light source could have played an important role for the survival of microorganisms after the application of aPDT. In a recent own study, we showed that the deepest layers of the oral biofilm were not affected by the aPDT [4 ]."
— 2015 November 7, “Antimicrobial Photoinactivation Using Visible Light Plus Water-Filtered Infrared-A (VIS + wIRA) Alters In Situ Oral Biofilms”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The biologist studied a single ____ under the microscope to understand its structure.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
A single ____ can be seen under a strong microscope, revealing a complex world of biological activity invisible to the naked eye.