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archaebacteria

[ ahr-kee-bak-teer-ee-uh ]
/ ˌɑr ki bækˈtɪər i ə /
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plural noun, singular ar·chae·bac·te·ri·um [ahr-kee-bak-teer-ee-uhm]. /ˌɑr ki bækˈtɪər i əm/. Microbiology.

a former term for the archaea, which in the three-domain system are no longer classified, either in kingdom or domain, with the bacteria.

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Also ar·chae·o·bac·te·ri·a [ahr-kee-oh-bak-teer-ee-uh]. /ˌɑr ki oʊ bækˈtɪər i ə/.
See also domain (def. 6).

Origin of archaebacteria

First recorded in 1975–80; from New Latin; Archae- is irregular for archaeo- (perhaps an erroneous Latinizing of Greek arche- ); see origin at arche-,archaeo-, bacteria

Words nearby archaebacteria

arcform, arc furnace, arch, archaea, archaean, archaebacteria, archaebacterium, archaeo-, archaeoastronomy, archaeobotany, Archaeocyathid
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

British Dictionary definitions for archaebacteria

archaebacteria
/ (ˌɑːkɪbækˈtɪərɪə) /

pl n

(formerly) a group of microorganisms now regarded as members of the ArchaeaSee archaean

Word Origin for archaebacteria

from archaeo- + bacteria
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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