bacteriology
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bacteriology
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.
Vocabulary lists containing bacteriology
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In one assignment to test students' ability to evaluate scientific arguments, Paustian, a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison's bacteriology department, was suspicious that they might simply copy the instructions into a chatbot.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
"To my knowledge, it's one of the first times you can make two valuable products simultaneously in one microbe," says Tim Donohue, UW-Madison professor of bacteriology and director of the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 21, 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
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
