bacteriology

American  

[bak-teer-ee-ol-uh-jee] / bækˌtɪər iˈɒl ə dʒi /

noun

1. a branch of microbiology dealing with the identification, study, and cultivation of bacteria and with their applications in medicine, agriculture, industry, and biotechnology.

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bacteriology British  

/ bækˌtɪərɪˈɒlədʒɪ, bækˌtɪərɪəˈlɒdʒɪkəl /

noun

1. the branch of science concerned with the study of bacteria

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bacteriology Scientific  

/ băk-tîr′ē-ŏl′ə-jē /

1. The scientific study of bacteria, especially bacteria that cause disease.

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Other Word Forms

• bacteriologic
  adjective
• bacteriological
  adjective
• bacteriologically
  adverb
• bacteriologist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of bacteriology

First recorded in 1880–85; bacterio- + -logy

Explanation

Bacteriology is the science of certain single-celled microorganisms, both the harmful ones that cause diseases and the helpful ones in yogurt and kimchi. Bacteriology is formed by adding the suffix -ology, or "science," to bacteria, whose root means "staff," from the shape of the earliest bacteria viewed through a microscope. This branch of biology focuses on every aspect of bacteria, particularly the way medicine can be used to prevent and cure bacterial diseases.

Example Sentences

"The origin of life really is a something-from-nothing process," says Betül Kaçar, a NASA-supported astrobiologist and UW-Madison professor of bacteriology.

From Science Daily • Sep. 19, 2023

Planning to enter his father’s profession, Harry studied bacteriology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before changing his mind and transferring to the North Carolina State University College of Design, in Raleigh.

From New York Times • Nov. 2, 2022

“When you talk about carbon cycles you really want to start thinking carefully about decomposers,” said Anne Pringle, a professor of botany and bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 30, 2021

Now, the doctor, scientist, university professor and pioneer of bacteriology will be beatified, a step toward sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church.

From Washington Times • Apr. 29, 2021

By now the new science of bacteriology, pioneered by Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur, had convinced most public health officials that contaminated drinking water caused the spread of cholera and other bacterial diseases.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson