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bacteria

[ bak-teer-ee-uh ]
/ bækˈtɪər i ə /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bacteria ON THESAURUS.COM

plural noun, singular bac·te·ri·um [bak-teer-ee-uh m] /bækˈtɪər i əm/.

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.

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RELATED WORDS

pathogens, germs, bacilli

Nearby words

  1. bact.,
  2. bacter-,
  3. bacteraemia,
  4. bacteremia,
  5. bacteri-,
  6. bacteria bed,
  7. bacterial,
  8. bacterial canker,
  9. bacterial capsule,
  10. bacterial endocarditis

Origin of bacteria

1905–10; < New Latin < Greek baktḗria, plural of baktḗrion; see bacterium
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bacteria

British Dictionary definitions for bacteria

bacteria

/ (bækˈtɪərɪə) /

pl n singular -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 animalsSee also prokaryote
Derived Formsbacterial, adjectivebacterially, adverb

Word Origin for bacteria

C19: plural of New Latin bacterium, from Greek baktērion, literally: a little stick, from baktron rod, staff
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
Word Origin and History for bacteria

bacteria

n.

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).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for bacteria

bacteria

[ băk-tîr′ē-ə ]

n.

Plural ofbacterium
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for bacteria

bacteria

[ băk-tîr′ē-ə ]

Plural of bacterium.

bacterium

[ băk-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) sometimes classified as a separate kingdom. See also archaeon prokaryote.
Related formsbacterial adjective
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Culture definitions for bacteria

bacteria

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).
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.