bacteria

[bak-teer-ee-uh] /bækˈtɪər i ə/

plural noun, singular bacterium

[bak-teer-ee-uh m] /bækˈtɪər i əm/ (Show IPA)

ubiquitous one-celled organisms, spherical, spiral, or rod-shaped and appearing singly or in chains, comprising the Schizomycota, a phylum of the kingdom Monera (in some classification systems the plant class Schizomycetes), various species of which are involved in fermentation, putrefaction, infectious diseases, or nitrogen fixation.

Origin

1905-10; < Neo-Latin < Greek baktḗria, plural of baktḗrion; see bacterium

Related forms

bacterial, adjective

bacterially, adverb

nonbacterial, adjective

nonbacterially, adverb

unbacterial, adjective

Examples from the web for bacterial

Through chemical signaling, tiny bacterial cells can band together and perform the work of giants.
Tiny bits of food get caught up in that calcified bacterial sludge, where they can remain for millennia without disintegrating.
It used to be the leading cause of bacterial meningitis in children.
They suffer from malnutrition and various viral and bacterial diseases.
bacterial canker and brown rot of stone fruit are serious diseases.
The pruning improves air circulation, lessening the chance of fungal and bacterial mildews and rot.
Intelligent design is an argument by inference, and the example that proponents dote upon is the bacterial flagellum.
It is usually caused by a bacterial infection that sets off a body-wide inflammatory response.
The study found that when poultry and beef are produced without these antibiotics, bacterial resistance quickly declines.
Unlike bacterial infections, viruses are harder to combat.

British Dictionary definitions for bacterial

bacteria

/bækˈtɪərɪə/

plural noun (sing) -rium (-rɪəm)

a very large group of microorganisms comprising one of the three domains of living organisms. They are prokaryotic, unicellular, and either free-living in soil or water or parasites of plants or animals See also prokaryote

Derived Forms

bacterial, adjective
bacterially, adverb

Word Origin

C19: plural of New Latin bacterium, from Greek baktērion, literally: a little stick, from baktron rod, staff

Word Origin and History for bacterial

adj.

1869, from bacteria + -al (1).

bacteria

1847, plural of Modern Latin bacterium, from Greek bakterion "small staff," diminutive of baktron "stick, rod," from PIE *bak- "staff used for support." So called because the first ones observed were rod-shaped. Introduced as a scientific word 1838 by German naturalist Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg (1795-1876).

bacterial in Medicine

bacteria bac·te·ri·a (bāk-tǐr'ē-ə)
n.
Plural of bacterium.

bac·te'ri·al adj.

bacterial in Science

bacteria

(bāk-tîr'ē-ə)
Plural of bacterium.

bacterium

(bāk-tîr'ē-əm)
Plural bacteria
Any of a large group of one-celled organisms that lack a cell nucleus, reproduce by fission or by forming spores, and in some cases cause disease. They are the most abundant lifeforms on Earth, and are found in all living things and in all of the Earth's environments. Bacteria usually live off other organisms. Bacteria make up most of the kingdom of prokaryotes (Monera or Prokaryota), with one group (the archaea or archaebacteria) often classified as a separate kingdom. See also archaeon, prokaryote.

bacterial adjective

Our Living Language : It is important to remember that bacteria is the plural of bacterium, and that saying a bacteria is incorrect. It is correct to say The soil sample contains millions of bacteria, and Tetanus is caused by a bacterium.

bacterial in Culture

bacteria definition

sing. bacterium

Microorganisms made up of a single cell that has no distinct nucleus. Bacteria reproduce by fission or by forming spores.

Note: Some bacteria are beneficial to humans (for example, those that live in the stomach and aid digestion), and some are harmful (for example, those that cause disease).