thermophile

[ thur-muh-fahyl, -fil ]

noun

1. a thermophilic organism.

thermophile

/ θɜːˈmɒfɪləs; ˈθɜːməʊˌfɪl; ˈθɜːməʊˌfaɪl /

noun

1. an organism, esp a bacterium or plant, that thrives under warm conditions

adjective

1. thriving under warm conditions

Derived Forms

• ˌthermoˈphilic, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of thermophile¹

First recorded in 1895–1900; thermo- + -phile

Example Sentences

A process was developed in the early 21st Century which involves encasing human corpses in wood chips, straw, and alfalfa until thermophile microbes decompose the body.

From BBC

So-called thermophile bacteria are arguably our most distant ancestors.

From Forbes

Discovered in 1986 in volcanically heated ocean sediments off the coast of Italy, Pyrococcus furiosus is a thermophile, a heat lover, thriving in temperatures from 70 to more than 100 degrees Celsius.

From Scientific American