Microbiologist

/ˌmaɪkroʊbaɪˈɑlədʒɪst/

IPA guide

Other forms: microbiologists

Do you love examining tiny things through a microscope? Maybe you should consider being a microbiologist! A microbiologist is a scientist who studies very small organisms.

These scientists study microscopic organisms including fungi, algae, the tiny flora that live in your digestive system, and viruses that make people sick. A microbiologist might work to identify bacteria that cause disease or ensure the food supply is free of harmful microorganisms. The word microbiologist, like biologist, is rooted in the Greek word for "life," bios, with the addition of the prefix micro-, "small."

Definitions of microbiologist

noun
a specialist in microbiology

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examples:
Albert Bruce Sabin
United States microbiologist (born in Poland) who developed the Sabin vaccine that is taken orally against poliomyelitis (born 1906)

types:
virologist
a specialist in virology

type of:
biologist, life scientist
(biology) a scientist who studies living organisms

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