microbiology

noun

mi·​cro·​bi·​ol·​o·​gy ˌmī-krō-bī-ˈä-lə-jē 

: a branch of biology dealing with microscopic forms of life

microbiological

ˌmī-krō-ˌbī-ə-ˈlä-ji-kəl 

adjective

or less commonly microbiologic

ˌmī-krō-ˌbī-ə-ˈlä-jik 

microbiologically

ˌmī-krō-ˌbī-ə-ˈlä-ji-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

microbiologist

ˌmī-krō-bī-ˈä-lə-jist 

noun

Examples of microbiology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Agar is and has been a staple of microbiology labs for a century. —Sarah Zhang, The Atlantic, 25 Sep. 2024

Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82 Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology. —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 4 Oct. 2024

Despite agar’s significance, few remember Hesse’s key role in microbiology history. —Corrado Nai, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 June 2024

Mary Lidstrom, a professor emeritus of chemical engineering and microbiology at the University of Washington, is working on genetically modifying bacteria that naturally consume methane as a food source, so that the microbes pull even more gas from the air. —Marina Koren, The Atlantic, 20 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

microbiology

noun

mi·​cro·​bi·​ol·​o·​gy ˌmī-krō-bī-ˈäl-ə-jē 

: a branch of biology concerned especially with microscopic forms of life (as bacteria, protozoans, and viruses)

microbiological

ˈmī-krō-ˌbī-ə-ˈläj-i-kəl 

adjective

also microbiologic

-ˈläj-ik 

microbiologically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

microbiology

noun

mi·​cro·​bi·​ol·​o·​gy ˌmī-krō-bī-ˈäl-ə-jē 

plural microbiologies

: a branch of biology dealing especially with microorganisms (as bacteria and protozoans)

microbiological

ˈmī-krō-ˌbī-ə-ˈläj-i-kəl 

adjective

also microbiologic

-ˈläj-ik 

microbiological contamination

microbiological research

microbiologically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

microbiologically safe water