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• archaea
  archaea

  plural noun

  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
  Archaea

  noun

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

archaea

¹ American  

[ahr-kee-uh] / ˈɑr ki ə /

plural noun

Microbiology.

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”; see origin at archaeo- ( def. )

Origin of Archaea²

First recorded in 1990–95; from New Latin; see origin at archaea ( def. )

Example Sentences

These tiny organisms form the base of the marine food chain, meaning the activity of ammonia-oxidizing archaea ultimately helps sustain ocean biodiversity.

From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2026

These archaea oxidize ammonia, a process that plays a central role in the ocean's nitrogen cycle.

From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2026

Their results indicated that despite inhibiting these ammonia oxidizers -- mostly archaea that are abundant in the dark ocean -- the rate of carbon fixation in the study areas didn't drop as much as expected.

From Science Daily • Dec. 10, 2025

Earlier studies tested the idea that perhaps the carbon-fixing archaea were far more efficient than scientists assumed, needing less nitrogen to fix the same amount of carbon.

From Science Daily • Dec. 10, 2025

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 • May 1, 2024