extremophile

Definitions

Any of many organisms that live under extreme conditions of temperature, pressure, salinity, etc; many are autotrophs; some are commercially important as a source of enzymes that operate under similar conditions.

Equivalents

Examples

“They had found the world's first extremophiles – organisms that could live⟳ in water that had previously been assumed to be much too hot or acid or choked with sulphur to bear⟳ life.”

“Lichens are 'extremophiles', organisms able to live⟳, from our point⟳ of view⟳, in other worlds.”

CEFR level