Standard Lemma guide

biofilm

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

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Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A structured community of microorganisms, such as bacteria, that adhere to a surface and are embedded in a self-produced protective matrix of mucuslike extracellular material.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: biology, medicine, natural-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From bio- + film. First used in the early 1970s in the context of wastewater treatment.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Finnish: biofilmi — aggregation of microorganisms
  • Finnish: biokalvo — aggregation of microorganisms
  • French: biopellicule — aggregation of microorganisms
  • German: Biofilm — aggregation of microorganisms
  • Hungarian: biofilm — aggregation of microorganisms
  • Polish: biofilm — aggregation of microorganisms
  • Portuguese: biofilme — aggregation of microorganisms
  • Slovak: biofilm — aggregation of microorganisms
  • Spanish: biopelícula — aggregation of microorganisms