Microorganism: Difference between revisions

A '''microorganism''', or '''microbe''',{{efn|The word ''microorganism'' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|aɪ|k|r|oʊ-|ˈ|ɔːr|g|ə|n|ɪ|z|əm}}) uses [[classical compound|combining forms]] of ''[[wikt:micro-#Prefix|micro-]]'' (from the {{lang-el|μικρός}}, ''mikros'', "small") and ''[[organism]]'' from the {{lang-el|ὀργανισμός}}, ''organismós'', "organism"). It is usually written as a single word but is sometimes [[hyphen]]ated (''micro-organism''), especially in older texts. The informal synonym ''microbe'' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|aɪ|k|r|oʊ|b}}) comes from μικρός, mikrós, "small" and βίος, bíos, "[[life]]".}} is an [[organism]] of [[microscopic scale|microscopic]] size, which may exist in its [[unicellular organism|single-celled]] form or as a [[Colony (biology)#Microbial colonies|colony of cells The scientific study of microorganisms began with their observation under the [[microscope]] in the 1670s by [[Anton van Leeuwenhoek]]. In the 1850s, [[Louis Pasteur]] found that microorganisms caused [[food spoilage]], debunking the theory of [[spontaneous generation]]. In the 1880s, [[Robert Koch]] discovered that microorganisms caused the diseases [[tuberculosis]], [[cholera]], [[diphtheria]], and [[anthrax]].