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thermophile

American

[thur-muh-fahyl, -fil] / ˈθɜr məˌfaɪl, -fɪl /

noun

a thermophilic organism.

thermophile British

/ θɜːˈmɒfɪləs, ˈθɜːməʊˌfɪl, ˈθɜːməʊˌfaɪl /

noun

an organism, esp a bacterium or plant, that thrives under warm conditions

"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

adjective

thriving under warm conditions

"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

thermophilic

adjective

Etymology

Origin of thermophile

First recorded in 1895–1900; thermo- + -phile

Example Sentences

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See Examples For:

thermophile

A process was developed in the early 21st Century which involves encasing human corpses in wood chips, straw, and alfalfa until thermophile microbes decompose the body.

From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2023

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