thermophilic

adjective

ther·​mo·​phil·​ic ˌthər-mə-ˈfi-lik 

variants or less commonly thermophilous

(ˌ)thər-ˈmä-fə-ləs 

or thermophile

ˈthər-mə-ˌfī(-ə)l 

: of, relating to, or being an organism living at a high temperature

thermophilic fermentation

thermophilic bacteria

thermophile noun

Examples of thermophilic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

To try to get rid of the waste the booms and mats collected, the team subjected them to two composting methods: worms and thermophilic fungi, or heat-loving bacteria and fungi that can kill pathogens by generating high temperatures. —Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2024

Often, these proteins come from thermophilic microbes—those that tolerate hot temperatures. —Matthew Hutson, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2024

The combination of vermicomposting and thermophilic composting – the process of letting bacteria break down food waste – can process every bit of food and landscape waste that a family produces, according to Brooks. —Kylie Werner, The Arizona Republic, 16 June 2023

Because this modern giant ant and other ants longer than an inch living in South American and Australia like tropical settings, the researchers think T. lubei was also thermophilic (i.e., sets up shop in warm places). —Patrick Morgan, Discover Magazine, 4 May 2011

Houses are filled with appealing niches, including the hot water heater, which hosts exotic species of thermophilic bacteria first discovered in hot springs. —Jonathon Keats, Discover Magazine, 2 Oct. 2020

Ever since microbes were discovered squirming around in hydrothermal springs several decades ago, the limit of heat-loving (thermophilic) organisms has been a moving target. —Jeffrey Marlow, Discover Magazine, 29 Nov. 2016

Inside the engine, for example, where high temperatures are reached, thermophilic bacteria could (maybe) be found. —Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 4 June 2022

The closed-vessel system also accelerated the proliferation of the thermophilic organisms that break a body down, transforming it into soil in just thirty days. —Lisa Wells, Harper's Magazine, 28 Sep. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1894, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for thermophilic

• amphiphilic
• basophilic
• carboxylic
• hydrophilic
• lipophilic
• mesophilic
• neutrophilic
• acidophilic
• dicarboxylic
• electrophilic
• nucleophilic
• tricarboxylic

Medical Definition

thermophilic

adjective

ther·​mo·​phil·​ic ˌthər-mə-ˈfil-ik 

variants also thermophilous

(ˌ)thər-ˈmäf-ə-ləs 

or thermophile

ˈthər-mə-ˌfīl 

: of, relating to, or being an organism living at a high temperature

thermophilic bacteria