Word
anaerobic
Phoneticsanaer·o·bic
US/ˌænɝˈoʊbɪk/
UK/ˌæneəɹˈəʊbɪk/
Definition
adj. describing a process or living thing that does not need oxygen to survive or work. You often hear this word when talking about bacteria or exercise.
adj. relating to or occurring in the absence of oxygen. Often describes biological processes or organisms that thrive in oxygen-deprived environments.
Examples
“Some bacteria are anaerobic and live deep in the soil.”
“The athlete performed anaerobic exercises to build muscle strength and improve her sprinting speed.”
“In the absence of oxygen, the muscle cells switch to anaerobic respiration, a process that produces energy quickly but results in the accumulation of lactic acid.”
Examples
simple
“Some bacteria are anaerobic and live deep in the soil.”
contextual
“The athlete performed anaerobic exercises to build muscle strength and improve her sprinting speed.”
complex
“In the absence of oxygen, the muscle cells switch to anaerobic respiration, a process that produces energy quickly but results in the accumulation of lactic acid.”
Real-World Examples
“The bacterium grows in anaerobic environments, meaning places with very little oxygen.” “Anaerobic co-digestion consists of mixing different kinds of waste in the same reactor to enhance energy production.” Etymology
From French anaérobie, from Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-, “not”) + ἀήρ (aḗr, “air”) + βίος (bíos, “life”) + -ic. By surface analysis, an- + aerobic.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/anaerobic