archaea

¹

[ahr-kee-uh]

plural noun

Microbiology.

singular

archaeon 

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

Mr. Kukushkin argues that throughout the history of life on earth, apparent dead ends often lead to magnificent leaps forward: from archaea to eukaryotes; from single-celled organisms to multicellular life; from solitary creatures to vast social groups.

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"Diverse bacteria and archaea possess the genetic capacity for MISO," explains lead author Song-Can Chen, "and they are found in a wide range of natural and human-made environments."

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

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

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

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