halophile

[hal-uh-fahyl]

noun

Microbiology.

1. any organism, most commonly a species of archaea, that requires a salt-rich environment for its growth and survival.

halophile

/ ˈhæləʊˌfaɪl /

noun

1. an organism that thrives in an extremely salty environment, such as the Dead Sea

Other Word Forms

• halophilic adjective
• halophilous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of halophile¹

First recorded in 1835–45; halo- + -phile

Example Sentences

One ex­treme halophile and the thermoacidophile Sulfolobus were known to be exceptions to this generalization; they were considered to have an idiosyncratic wall structure.

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