Meanings
comparative more psychrotrophic · superlative most psychrotrophic
- biologyDescribing microorganisms that thrive in a cold environment.
1 more example
One of the main reasons fridge temperatures are recommend to be set at 5ºC is because of listeria. Listeria is a food poisoning bacterium that is psychrotrophic – in other words it likes cold temperatures. From the growth models, we know that listeria grows nearly twice as fast at 8°C as it does at 5°C, hence the recommended 5ºC, which helps keep us safe from listeria.
2018 January 15, Kaarin Goodburn, “How chilled is your fridge?”, in Food Standards Agency
Origin
From psychro- (“cold”) + -trophic (“growth”).
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish psykrotrofinen, viileähakuinen
- psykrotrofinenbiology: describing microorganisms that thrive in a cold environment
- viileähakuinenbiology: describing microorganisms that thrive in a cold environment
Irish sícreatrófach
- sícreatrófachbiology: describing microorganisms that thrive in a cold environment
Italian psicrotrofico
- psicrotroficobiology: describing microorganisms that thrive in a cold environment
Cite this entry
psychrotrophic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psychrotrophic
“psychrotrophic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psychrotrophic. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “psychrotrophic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/psychrotrophic.
Source: psychrotrophic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.