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microclimate

[ mahy-kruh-klahy-mit ]
/ ˈmaɪ krəˌklaɪ mɪt /

noun

the climate of a small area, as of confined spaces such as caves or houses (cryptoclimate ), of plant communities, wooded areas, etc. (phytoclimate ), or of urban communities, which may be different from that in the general region.

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Compare macroclimate.

Origin of microclimate

First recorded in 1920–25; micro- + climate

OTHER WORDS FROM microclimate

mi·cro·cli·mat·ic [mahy-kroh-klahy-mat-ik], /ˌmaɪ kroʊ klaɪˈmæt ɪk/, adjectivemi·cro·cli·mat·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words nearby microclimate

microcinematography, Microciona, microcircuit, microcircuitry, microcirculation, microclimate, microclimatology, microcline, Micrococcaceae, micrococcus, microcode
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for microclimate

British Dictionary definitions for microclimate

microclimate
/ (ˈmaɪkrəʊˌklaɪmɪt) /

noun ecology

the atmospheric conditions affecting an individual or a small group of organisms, esp when they differ from the climate of the rest of the community
the entire environment of an individual or small group of organisms

Derived forms of microclimate

microclimatic (ˌmaɪkrəʊklaɪˈmætɪk), adjectivemicroclimatically, adverb
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

Scientific definitions for microclimate

microclimate
[ mī′krō-klī′mĭt ]

The climate of a small, specific place within a larger area. An area as small as a yard or park can have several different microclimates depending on how much sunlight, shade, or exposure to the wind there is at a particular spot. Compare macroclimate.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for microclimate

microclimate

The long-term weather conditions in a small area on the Earth. Usually, this term refers to such things as the differences in weather between the tops of hills and neighboring valleys, or between different parts of the same piece of land.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.