microbial

microbe +‎ -ial

• (UK) IPA^(key): /maɪˈkrəʊ.bi.əl/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /maɪˈkroʊ.bi.əl/

microbial (not comparable)

1. Of, relating to, or caused by microbes or microorganisms.
   • 2013 May-June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:

     Many genes with reproductive roles also have antibacterial and immune functions, which indicate that the threat of microbial attack on the sperm or egg may be a major influence on rapid evolution during reproduction.

2. Small; tiny; minuscule.
   • 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., published 1921, page 191:

     As I say, one must not blame the Christians too much for all this - partly because, after the communal periods which I have just mentioned, Christianity was evidently deeply influenced by the rise of Commercialism to which during the last two centuries it has so carefully and piously adapted itself; and partly because - if our view is anywhere near right - this microbial injection of self-consciousness was just the necessary work which (in conjunction with commercialism) it had to perform.

microbial (plural microbials)

1. A microbe or bacterium.

• mirabolic

• Hyphenation: mi‧cro‧bi‧al

microbial m or f (plural microbiais)

1. microbial (relating to microbes)

   Synonyms: micróbico, microbiano

• IPA^(key): /mikɾoˈbjal/ [mi.kɾoˈβ̞jal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: mi‧cro‧bial

microbial m or f (masculine and feminine plural microbiales)

1. microbial