bacteri-

Also bacter-,

1. a combining form meaning “bacteria,” used in the formation of compound words.

   bactericide; bacteriuria.

Word History and Origins

Origin of bacteri-¹

< Greek baktḗrion little staff; bacterium

When To Use

What does bacteri- mean?

Bacteri- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “bacteria,” microscopic single-celled organisms. It is very occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology and pathology.Bacteri- comes from Greek baktḗria, meaning “staff, cane.” Discover how the word for “staff” came to denote microorganisms at our entry for bacterium.What are variants of bacteri-?Bacteri- is a variant of bacterio-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. Another variant of bacteri- is bacter-, as in bacterin. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use bacter- and bacterio- articles.From a related Greek word, báktron, which means “stick,” English inherits the combining form -bacter. Want to learn more? Check out our Words That Use article for -bacter.Related to both baktḗria and báktron is the Latin noun baculum, “staff,” which is the source of the combining form bacill-, which refers to a type of rod-shaped bacteria, and baguette, a rod-shaped loaf of bread.