WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
meth•an•o•gen
(me than′ə jən, -jen′),USA pronunciation n.
meth•an′o•gen′ic, adj.
- Microbiologyany of a diverse group of widely distributed archaebacteria that occur in anaerobic environments, as the intestinal tracts of animals, freshwater and marine sediments, and sewage, and are capable of producing methane from a limited number of substrates, including carbon dioxide and hydrogen, acetate, and methylamines: an important source of natural gas.
- methane- + -o- + -gen 1975–80