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acidophil

acidophil

9.9
A living thing that grows well in acidic places like soil or hot springs
  • noun
  • /ˌæsɪˈdoʊfɪl/
  • Specialized
: acidófilo
  • Some bacteria are classified as acidophils because they flourish in low pH environments.

So the acidophils getting a little bit of bullying from the other cells.

Examples

  • Researchers study acidophils to better understand how life adapts to acidic habitats.

  • The acidophil thrives in hot springs.

  • Mountains with volcanic soils are often home to unique acidophils.

  • Many acidophils can survive extreme conditions.

  • Researchers study acidophils to better understand how life adapts to acidic habitats.

  • Some bacteria are classified as acidophils because they flourish in low pH environments.

  • Mountains with volcanic soils are often home to unique acidophils.

Synonyms

acidophile
vsacidophil
  • Specialized
9.9

A living thing that grows best in very acidic places like hot springs

thrives in moderately acidic rather than strongly acidic surroundings

Surface Forms

acidophil singular
acidophils plural

Morphology

acidophil = acid (semi-transparent) = acid + phil

Formed from 'acid' + the combining form '-phil' meaning 'loving/affinity for'; the meaning is compositional but uses a specialized Greek combining form common in scientific vocabulary, which may be unfamiliar to general B1 learners.

Etymology

Acidophil comes from acid meaning 'sour' and phil meaning 'loving', the same phil in bibliophile which means 'book lover'. So an acidophil is a living thing that 'loves' acidic places and does well there.