Microorganisms

/ˌmaɪ.kroʊˈɔr.ɡən.ɪ.zəmz/ noun

Definition

Tiny living creatures that are too small to see without a microscope, like bacteria, viruses, and protozoans.

Etymology

From Greek 'mikros' (small) and 'organon' (instrument/living thing), plus 'organism.' The term was coined in the 1800s when microscopes made these organisms visible for the first time.

Kelly Says

Microorganisms outnumber every other living thing on Earth—there are more bacteria on your skin than people on the planet! Yet we only discovered them a few hundred years ago because we needed microscopes.

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