bacillus

[ buh-sil-uh s ]

/ bəˈsɪl əs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bacillus ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural ba·cil·li [buh-sil-ahy] /bəˈsɪl aɪ/.

any rod-shaped or cylindrical bacterium of the genus Bacillus, comprising spore-producing bacteria.

(formerly) any bacterium.

Nearby words

bacilli, bacilliform, bacillin, bacillosis, bacilluria, bacillus, bacillus calmette-guérin, bacillus cereus, bacillus sphaericus, bacillus thuringiensis, bacitracin

Origin of bacillus

1880–85; < Late Latin, variant of Latin bacillum (diminutive of baculum) staff, walking stick

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bacillus

Anthrax, or Bacillus anthracis, is spore-forming bacteria found in soil that most commonly affects cattle.
CDC: 80 May Have Been Exposed to Anthrax|Abby Haglage|June 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Might Stevens have encountered spores of Bacillus anthracis during a recent hike through woods in North Carolina?
The Mirage Man by David Willman: Anthrax Attacker Bruce Ivins' Obsessions||June 2, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Bacillus cuenoti Mercier, bactéroide de Periplaneta orientalis, à la morphologie d'une bactérie.
The Biotic Associations of Cockroaches|Louis M. Roth
Cream ripened with common bacteria found in hay dust (Bacillus subtilis) gives a very undesirable flavor to butter.
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, December 1899|Various

The thought of the bacillus made the pages seem colourless; it dwarfed all meaning in the words.
The Blue Germ|Martin Swayne
Of course I didn't examine for the bacillus, but it isn't there.
Heart of the West|O. Henry
Bacillus rosii is a brown, wingless form found in Italy and the south of France.
The Young Collector's Handbook of Ants, Bees, Dragon-flies, Earwigs, Crickets, and Flies|W. Harcourt Bath

British Dictionary definitions for bacillus

bacillus

/ (bəˈsɪləs) /

noun plural -cilli (-ˈsɪlaɪ)

any rod-shaped bacterium, such as a clostridium bacteriumCompare coccus (def. 2), spirillum (def. 1)

any of various rodlike spore-producing bacteria constituting the family Bacillaceae, esp of the genus Bacillus

Word Origin for bacillus

C19: from Latin: a small staff, from baculum walking stick

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

Medicine definitions for bacillus (1 of 2)

bacillus

[ bə-sĭl′əs ]

n. pl. ba•cil•li (-sĭl′ī′)

Any of various rod-shaped, usually gram-positive aerobic bacteria of the genus Bacillus that often occur in chains and include Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax.