archaea

¹ American  

[ahr-kee-uh] / ˈɑr ki ə /

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.

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Archaea ² American  

[ahr-kee-uh] / ˈɑr ki ə /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

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

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Etymology

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

The organism is a methane producing member of a group of microbes known as Archaea.

From Science Daily

Archaea that consume methylamines, along with certain bacteria that may have acquired the same ability, play an important role in human health.

From Science Daily

For years, scientists have known that many Archaea can produce pyrrolysine, giving them 21 amino acids to work with instead of the usual 20.

From Science Daily

In the new study, Nayak and former graduate student Katie Shalvarjian surveyed a wide range of Archaea and found that many lineages produce pyrrolysine.

From Science Daily

"We found that the machinery required to create pyrrolysine is widespread in the Archaea, especially amongst these methanogenic archaea that consume methylated amines," said Shalvarjian, now a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

From Science Daily