mesophilic

American

[mez-uh-fil-ik, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh-] / ˌmɛz əˈfɪl ɪk, ˌmɛs-, ˌmi zə-, -sə- /

Also mesophilous

adjective

(of bacteria) growing best at moderate temperatures, between 25°C and 40°C.

mesophilic British

/ ˌmɛsəʊˈfɪlɪk, ˈmɛsəʊˌfaɪl /

adjective

biology (esp of bacteria) having an ideal growth temperature of 20–45°C

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

mesophile noun

Etymology

Origin of mesophilic

First recorded in 1895–1900; meso- + -philic

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Powdered mesophilic cultures, sold in packets, are reasonably priced.

From Washington Post

As a bacteriologist, Dr. Arrhenius knew that there were three temperature types of bacteria, those living at low temperatures, the psychrophilic; those living at the temperatures of the human body giving us so much trouble, the mesophilic; those living at high temperatures near geysers, volcanoes etc., the thermophilic.

From Time Magazine Archive

The temperature 42° C. destroys ordinary water bacteria and inhibits the growth of many ordinary mesophilic bacteria.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023