anaerobic
UK[ˌæneəˈrəʊbɪk]US[ˌænəˈroʊbɪk]
adj
not requiring, or capable of occurring in the absence of, oxygen.
adj
relating to or caused by bacteria that do not require oxygen to live.
Morpheme Breakdown
an
aero
bic
an
not
aero
air
bic
relating to
Etymology
the word 'anaerobic' is a scientific term constructed from greek components to precisely describe a biological condition. the prefix 'an-' signifies a negation or absence, directly attached to the root 'aero-', which derives from the greek 'aēr' meaning 'air' and, in scientific context, specifically refers to the gaseous element oxygen. the adjectival suffix '-bic' (from greek '-ikos' via latin) completes the word, forming an adjective that means "relating to the absence of air (oxygen)." thus, the literal building blocks "not-air-relating to" evolved into the modern abstract meaning describing processes or organisms that function without oxygen.
Analysis
Structure: an (not) + aero (air) + bic (relating to)
an (greek origin, a prefix meaning "not" or "without"); aero (greek origin, from 'aēr' meaning "air"); bic (greek origin, via latin '-icus', an adjective-forming suffix meaning "pertaining to" or "relating to").
Examples
yeast can carry out both aerobic and anaerobic respiration.
anaerobic bacteria are often responsible for infections in deep wounds.
high-intensity interval training pushes muscles into an anaerobic state.