methanogen

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A tiny living thing that makes methane without oxygen

noun
/ˈmɛθəˌnoʊdʒən/

Specialized

: metanógeno

microbes, known as methanogens

Examples

So and a lot of those would be methanogens, that sort of thing.
In anaerobic environments like marshes, methanogens thrive by producing methane as a metabolic byproduct.
Researchers discovered that certain methanogens can survive extreme conditions while generating methane gas.
The presence of methanogens in the guts of ruminants helps them digest food by breaking down complex carbohydrates and producing methane.

Surface Forms

methanogen singular

methanogens plural

Morphology

methanogen = methane + generate (semi-transparent) = methan + gen

The components 'methane' and 'generate' are clear, but the specific biological context of a microorganism producing methane is specialized.

Etymology

The word methanogen comes from methane (the gas) and -gen which means 'to produce', like in the common word generate. So a methanogen is a 'maker of methane', which explains why these microbes produce methane in places without oxygen.