archaea

¹

[ ahr-kee-uh ]

plural noun

, Microbiology.

, singular ar·chae·on [ahr, -kee-on].

1. a group of microorganisms, including the methanogens and certain halophiles and thermoacidophiles, that have RNA sequences, coenzymes, and a cell wall composition that are different from all other organisms: considered to be an ancient form of life that evolved separately from bacteria and algae and classified as constituting the domain Archaea.

Archaea

²

[ ahr-kee-uh ]

noun

, (used with a singular or plural verb)

1. (in the three-domain system of classification) the taxonomic domain comprising the archaea.

Word History and Origins

Origin of archaea¹

First recorded in 1985–90; from New Latin, from Greek archaîa, neuter plural of archaîos “ancient”; archaeo- ( def )

Origin of archaea²

First recorded in 1990–95; from New Latin; archaea ( def )

Example Sentences

Their study, published in Nature Communications, shows that these archaea are very 'picky eaters', which might drive their hosts to change the menu.

From Science Daily

Archaea are a distinct group of microbes, similar to bacteria*.

From Science Daily

So far, it was thought that these parasitic archaea just eat any kind of lipids from their host to construct their membrane.

From Science Daily

"Not only does it shed a first light on the interactions between different archaea; it gives a totally new insight in the fundamentals of microbial ecology," Hamm says.

From Science Daily

Archaea are single celled organisms that were long believed to be a specific group of bacteria.

From Science Daily