anaerobe; anaerobic organism
Technical term in biology for organisms that live without oxygen. Often used in scientific contexts.
Anaerobes proliferate in oxygen-free environments.
This bacterium is classified as an anaerobe.
Opposite term: an aerobe, an organism that requires oxygen.
The property of being anaerobic; often used as a prefix in compounds like 嫌気性細菌 (anaerobic bacteria).
Compound of 嫌気 (けんき, 'aversion to air') + 生物 (せいぶつ, 'organism'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is a modern scientific coinage.