microfaunal
|mi-cro-faun-al|
🇺🇸
/ˌmaɪkroʊˈfɔːnəl/
🇬🇧
/ˌmaɪkrəʊˈfɔːnəl/
relating to tiny animals
Etymology
'microfaunal' originates from Greek and Latin, specifically the prefix 'micro-' from Greek 'mikros' meaning 'small' and the noun 'fauna' from Latin 'fauna' meaning 'animal life', with the English adjectival suffix '-al'.
'microfaunal' was formed in modern scientific English by combining the prefix 'micro-' with 'fauna' to make 'microfauna', then adding the adjective-forming suffix '-al' to yield 'microfaunal'.
Initially the components meant 'small' and 'animal life'; over time the combined form evolved into the adjective meaning 'relating to or composed of microfauna'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to, composed of, or characteristic of microfauna (very small or microscopic animals).
Researchers examined the microfaunal assemblages in the lake sediment to infer past environmental conditions.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/12 08:40