hyperextremophile

noun

An organism that thrives at higher temperatures than typical extremophiles, which in turn thrive at higher temperatures than ordinary life.

First used 1990sScrabble 39
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Meanings

nounhyperextremophile (plural hyperextremophiles)

plural hyperextremophiles

  1. biologyAn organism that thrives at higher temperatures than typical extremophiles, which in turn thrive at higher temperatures than ordinary life.First known use 1990s

    Prokarya hyperextremophiles thrive at higher levels of temperature and in hypersalinity than the moderate extremophiles.

    2000, Joseph Seckbach, “Extremophilies as Models for Extraterrestrial Life”, in ASP Conference Series, volume 213, →Bibcode

Origin

From hyper- + extremophile.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

hyperextremophile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hyperextremophile

MLA

“hyperextremophile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hyperextremophile. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hyperextremophile,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hyperextremophile.

Source: hyperextremophile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.