bacteria

[bak-teer-ee-uh]

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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.

Origin of bacteria

1905–10; < New Latin < Greek baktḗria, plural of baktḗrion; see bacterium

Related formsbac·te·ri·al, adjectivebac·te·ri·al·ly, adverbnon·bac·te·ri·al, adjectivenon·bac·te·ri·al·ly, adverbun·bac·te·ri·al, adjective

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

Related Words for bacteria

pathogens, germs, bacilli

Examples from the Web for bacteria

Contemporary Examples of bacteria

The more antibiotics are used inappropriately, the greater the risk of bacteria growing resistant to them.
Without Education, Antibiotic Resistance Will Be Our Greatest Health Crisis
Russell Saunders
December 19, 2014
If all animals vanished, most bacteria would still live on, but if all bacteria disappeared, we would die quickly.
Why Did It Take So Long For Complex Life To Evolve On Earth? Blame Oxygen.
Matthew R. Francis
November 2, 2014
But consider that when we eat, the bacteria are actually fed first.
‘Good Poop’ Diet Is the Next Big Thing
Daniela Drake
October 7, 2014
On the other hand, the population of the other major group of bacteria, Bacteroidetes, increased.
‘Good Poop’ Diet Is the Next Big Thing
Daniela Drake
October 7, 2014
Allen says that some strains of bacteria may be potentially beneficial for some people but harmful to others.
Your Probiotic Is Probably B.S.
Carrie Arnold
June 25, 2014

Historical Examples of bacteria

Phim sticks to it, too; tells me my peg is downright encouragement to the bacteria.
The Spenders
Harry Leon Wilson
A simple experiment will show that no bacteria will exist in that vapor.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 417
Various
Bacteria that do not bother you very much might be deadly to us.
Islands of Space
John W Campbell
There seems to be no bacteria in the abysses, so there can be no rotting.
The Outline of Science, Vol. 1 (of 4)
J. Arthur Thomson
This disease is caused by bacteria, of which you have read in another section.
Agriculture for Beginners
Charles William Burkett

British Dictionary definitions for bacteria

bacteria

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

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).

bacteria in Medicine

bacteria

[băk-tîr′ē-ə]

n.

Plural ofbacterium

bacteria in Science

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

bacteria in Culture

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).