microbiota

noun

mi·​cro·​bi·​o·​ta ˌmī-krō-bī-ˈō-tə 

: the microscopic organisms of a particular environment : microbiome sense 1

It's very possible that the master key to unlocking chronic disease will turn out to be the health and composition of the microbiota in your gut.

—Michael Pollan and Ruth Reichl

microbiotic

ˌmī-krō-bī-ˈä-tik 

adjective

the microbiotic environment of the gut

Examples of microbiota in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Metabolites produced by gut microbiota: These are molecules naturally created by gut microbiota. —Johna Burdeos, Health, 20 Oct. 2024

The activity and makeup of these microorganisms are called the microbiota, which can affect human health. —Karen Berger, Pharmd, Verywell Health, 24 Mar. 2025

Ogawa and his team aim to further investigate how metformin and other diabetes medications affect glucose excretion, gut microbiota, and their metabolic products. —Jenny Lehmann, Discover Magazine, 4 Mar. 2025

What’s more, the juice-only group underwent the most drastic changes to their diet, which may inherently disrupt the balance of microbiota, Froechtenigt pointed out. —Sarah Garone, Health, 4 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

micro- + biota

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for microbiota

• acuminata
• desiderata
• fasciculata
• agata
• bharata
• cantata
• costata
• ephrata
• errata
• falcata
• mahratta
• regatta

Medical Definition

microbiota

noun

mi·​cro·​bi·​o·​ta -bī-ˈōt-ə 

: the microscopic organisms of a particular environment : microbiome sense 1

The more we learn about our microbiota, however, the more we realize how easy it is for helpful microbes to get caught in the line of fire between an antibiotic and its intended target.

—Nathan Wolfe, National Geographic

… the microbiota on the tongue differ from those species living in plaque on teeth.

—Mel Rosenberg, Scientific American

microbiotic

-bī-ˈät-ik 

adjective

microbiotic life