'microbe-based' originates from English, combining 'microbe' (from French 'microbe', where Greek 'mikros' meant 'small' and 'bios' meant 'life') and 'based' (from Late Latin/Greek 'basis', where 'basis' meant 'base' or 'foundation').

'microbe' entered English from French 'microbe' in the late 19th century; 'base' (and its participial adjective form 'based') comes from Old French/Latin via Greek 'basis'. In modern English these elements were joined as the compound adjective 'microbe-based' to describe things having microbes as their basis.

Initially, 'microbe' literally meant 'small life'; over time it came to mean microscopic organisms (microorganisms). When combined as 'microbe-based', the phrase means 'having a foundation in or derived from microbes', a meaning consistent with modern scientific and technical usage.