microflora

American  

[mahy-kroh-flawr-uh, -flohr-uh] / ˌmaɪ kroʊˈflɔr ə, -ˈfloʊr ə /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

microfloras, plural microflorae plural

1. Biology. microscopic plants.

2. Ecology. the flora of a microhabitat.

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microflora British  

/ ˈmaɪkrəʊˌflɔːrə /

noun

1. the community of microorganisms, including algae, fungi, and bacteria that live in or on another living organism or in a particular habitat

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• microfloral
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• microflorae
  plural
• microfloras
  plural

Etymology

Origin of microflora

First recorded in 1900–05; micro- + flora

Example Sentences

The biofilm formed by Lactobacillus bacteria proved to be extremely sensitive to the substance, raising concerns about potential harm to the intestinal microflora.

From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2026

Some winemakers choose to eschew the addition of commercial yeast, relying on the native microflora in and on the grapes to do the job.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2024

Recall that the colon is also home to the microflora called “intestinal flora” that aid in the digestion process.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

It includes human collagen that’s been fermented from microflora — the idea being that replacing our collagen with an exact replica will work better.

From New York Times • Feb. 21, 2021

"Our hypothesis has always been that the gut microflora in these patients are very abnormal, and these could be the culprits that lead to sepsis," he added.

From US News • Sep. 24, 2014