Emoji dictionary
馃 Microbe emoji
[ mahy-krohb ih-moh-jee ]
What does 馃 Microbe emoji mean?
The Microbe emoji 馃 depicts a microorganism, generally in the form of green virus or bacterium. The emoji is commonly used to refer to germs, disease, and being sick. In 2020, the Microbe emoji 馃 became widely used to refer to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Where does 馃 Microbe emoji come from?
The Microbe emoji 馃 was approved under Unicode 11.0 in 2018. On most major platforms, the emoji resembles a wriggly, single-celled virus or bacterium (like a bacillus) covered in flagella. Microsoft鈥檚 version of the emoji is blue and WhatsApp’s is purple; Apple uses a green spherical microbe (as a coccus) for the emoji.
The Microbe emoji 馃 was proposed alongside a number of other science-themed emoji (including Petri Dish 馃Й and DNA 馃К, which were also approved) as part of a joint campaign organized by the American Chemical Society and General Electric. For the campaign, named Emoji Science, the effort gathered evidence-based suggestions from scientists from the International Council for Science.
In 2020, the Microbe emoji 馃 surged due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was used to represent the coronavirus, COVID-19 disease, and the historic impact of the deadly pandemic on public health, school, work, and life in general.
Examples of 馃 Microbe emoji
Who uses 馃 Microbe emoji?
Before the 2020 pandemic, the Microbe emoji 馃 was used generally to refer to being sick or germs.
I鈥檓 sad to announce that I have a cold. It鈥檚 been a long time coming (itchy nose for a week+) and I put this moment off, but this afternoon there is no more denying it. I must fight off this 馃
— mer 饟啩 (@beachperfume)
I can鈥檛 wait to get home and wash my hands, this germ phobia is real 馃
— Alice 馃馃徎鈥嶁檧锔� (@AliceGagaxo)
In 2020, use of the Microbe emoji 馃 dramatically increased and shifted to refer specifically to the coronavirus and its many global consequences.
remember to get your flu shot this year! 馃拤 it's always important to protect the most vulnerable members of our community, but especially so this year 馃
— 馃巸馃懟 Spooky Ladder 馃懟馃巸 (@sophieladder)
i have a covid blood test tomorrow, wish me luck! 馃
— molly 鈾� (@mollycrossin)
Passing through Miami Airport and it feels like one big Corona germ! 馃
— Christina Cindrich (@MissCindrich)
Note
This is not meant to be a formal definition of 馃 Microbe emoji like most terms we define on 亚洲网紅露点, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of 馃 Microbe emoji that will help our users expand their word mastery.