microfauna

noun

mi·​cro·​fau·​na ˌmī-krō-ˈfȯ-nə How to pronounce microfauna (audio)
-ˈfä-
1
: minute animals
especially : those invisible to the naked eye
the soil microfauna
2
: a small or strictly localized fauna (as of a microenvironment)
microfaunal
ˌmī-krō-ˈfȯ-nᵊl How to pronounce microfauna (audio)
-ˈfä-
adjective

Examples of microfauna in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
These trips serve as a window into a different world, one of microfauna that comes alive after dark. — Condé Nast Traveller, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 Mar. 2025 To get the award-winning shot, Weston used a 1970s microscope and created a saline solution to hold the microfauna. — Elizabeth Gamillo, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Aug. 2021 The museum's exhibits also include some of the world's largest megafauna, thought to be 50,000 to 100,000 years old, and a variety of microfauna. — CNN, 17 July 2022 Reefs in other isolated locations, such as the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Mozambique Canal, also are likely to have unique microfauna and microbiofauna. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 2 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of microfauna was in 1895

Rhymes for microfauna

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Browse Nearby Words

microfarad
microfauna
micro-feeder
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Microfauna.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/microfauna. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Medical Definition

microfauna

noun
mi·​cro·​fau·​na ˌmī-krō-ˈfȯn-ə, -ˈfän- How to pronounce microfauna (audio)
: minute animals
especially : those invisible to the naked eye
the soil microfauna
compare macrofauna
microfaunal
-ˈfȯn-ᵊl, -ˈfän- How to pronounce microfauna (audio)
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on microfauna

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about microfauna

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