bacteria

¹ American  

[bak-teer-ee-uh] / bækˈtɪər i ə /

plural noun

Microbiology.

singular

bacterium

1. ubiquitous one-celled organisms, spherical, spiral, or rod-shaped and appearing singly or in chains, comprising numerous and variously classified phyla: among the inestimable number of species are those involved in fermentation, putrefaction, infectious diseases, and nitrogen fixation.

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Bacteria ² American  

[bak-teer-ee-uh] / bækˈtɪər i ə /

noun

(used with a singular or plural verb)

1. (in the three-domain system of classification) the taxonomic domain comprising the bacteria.

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bacteria British  

/ bækˈtɪərɪə /

plural noun

1. 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 animals See also prokaryote

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bacteria Cultural  

1. sing. bacterium Microorganisms made up of a single cell that has no distinct nucleus. Bacteria reproduce by fission or by forming spores.

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Usage

Plural word for bacteria Bacteria is the plural form of the singular bacterium. Because microscopic bacterium is most often found in multiples, the plural form bacteria is more commonly used. The plurals of several other singular words ending in -um are also formed this way, such as memorandum/memoranda and curriculum/curricula.The irregular noun bacterium’s plural derives directly from its original pluralization in Latin and Greek. Bacteria is sometimes treated as a singular collective noun. However, this is not standard in English, and bacteria should be treated as a plural form.

Discover More

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).

Other Word Forms

• bacterial adjective
• bacterially adverb
• nonbacterial adjective
• nonbacterially adverb

Etymology

Origin of bacteria¹

First recorded in 1860–65; from New Latin, from Greek baktḗria, plural of baktḗrion, diminutive of baktēría “staff, cane”; bacterium

Origin of Bacteria²

First recorded in 1860–65; from New Latin; bacteria ( def. )

Example Sentences

When these changes were introduced into living bacteria, the cells stopped growing and failed to properly separate their DNA.

From Science Daily

They found that pieces of amino acids from E. coli bacteria, if trapped in Martian permafrost or ice caps, could survive more than 50 million years even under constant cosmic radiation.

From Science Daily

Scientists increasingly recognize that gut bacteria are central to how the body processes food.

From Science Daily

“Perhaps I cleaned too much. I worry about such things. What if I’ve made the place completely sterile? Shouldn’t a home have a bit of bacteria lying about?”

From Literature

This process may encourage the growth of certain bacteria, potentially reshaping the microbial balance.

From Science Daily