halophile

[ hal-uh-fahyl ]

noun

, Microbiology.

1. any organism, most commonly a species of archaea, that requires a salt-rich environment for its growth and survival.

halophile

/ ˈhæləʊˌfaɪl /

noun

1. an organism that thrives in an extremely salty environment, such as the Dead Sea

Derived Forms

• ˌhaloˈphilic, adjective

Other Words From

• hal·o·phil·ic [hal-, uh, -, fil, -ik], ha·loph·i·lous [ha-, lof, -, uh, -l, uh, s], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of halophile¹

First recorded in 1835–45; halo- + -phile

Example Sentences

One ex­treme halophile and the thermoacidophile Sulfolobus were known to be exceptions to this generalization; they were considered to have an idiosyncratic wall structure.

From Scientific American