# microbial clock

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. The predictable, time-dependent succession of microbial communities during the postmortem decomposition of a body, used to estimate the postmortem interval.

## Etymology
Coined by the microbial ecologist and evolutionary biologist Jessica Metcalf c. 2010.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/microbial-clock