adjective
- (of an organism or tissue) living in the absence of air or free oxygen.
- pertaining to or caused by the absence of oxygen.
adjective
- (of an organism or process) requiring the absence of or not dependent on the presence of oxygen
- of or relating to anaerobes
“capable of living without oxygen,” 1879 (as anaerobian; modern form first attested 1884), from French anaĆ©robie, coined 1863 by French bacteriologist Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), from Greek an- “without” (see an- (1)) + aer “air” (see air (n.1)) + bios “life” (see bio-).
adj.
- Relating to or being an anaerobe.
- Living without oxygen.
- Occurring in the absence of oxygen or not requiring oxygen to live. Anaerobic bacteria produce energy from food molecules without the presence of oxygen. Compare aerobic.
A descriptive term for a process, such as fermentation, that can proceed only in the absence of oxygen, or a living thing that can survive only in the absence of oxygen. (Compare aerobic.)