bacillus

[ buh-sil-uhs ]

See synonyms for: bacillus bacilli 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.

Origin of bacillus

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

Words Nearby bacillus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bacillus in a sentence

Researchers found that bacillus bacteria on mice were the likely culprits producing the chemical.
The flowery scent of a Zika or dengue infection lures mosquitoes | Erin Garcia de Jesús | July 11, 2022 | Science News
Experiments showed it could inactivate the spores of a typically harmless bacteria, bacillus subtilis.
A disinfectant made from sawdust mows down deadly microbes | Carolyn Wilke | January 19, 2022 | Science News
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 | THE 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 | THE DAILY BEAST
There are a number of bacilli, called acid-fast bacilli, which stain in the same way as the tubercle bacillus.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd

It, or a similar bacillus, is sometimes found in the sputum of gangrene of the lung.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
Ordinarily, no attempt is made to identify any but the tubercle bacillus and the gonococcus.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
The great majority belong to the colon bacillus group, and are negative to Gram's method of staining.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
This will show all bacteria except the tubercle bacillus, and often no other stain is necessary for their identification.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd

British Dictionary definitions for bacillus

bacillus

/ (bəˈsɪləs) /

nounplural -cilli (-ˈsɪlaɪ)

any rod-shaped bacterium, such as a clostridium bacterium: Compare coccus (def. 2), spirillum (def. 1)
any of various rodlike spore-producing bacteria constituting the family Bacillaceae, esp of the genus Bacillus

Origin of 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

Scientific definitions for bacillus

bacillus

[ bə-sĭl′əs ]

Plural bacilli (bə-sĭl′ī′)

Any of various pathogenic bacteria, especially one that is rod-shaped.

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