Microorganism: Difference between revisions

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}}

[[File:E coli at 10000x, original.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|right|A [[Colony (biology)#Microbial colonies|cluster]] of ''[[Escherichia coli]]'' [[bacteria]] magnified 10,000 times]]

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]].