bacteroid

or bac·te·ri·oid

[ bak-tuh-roid or bak-teer-ee-oid ]

/ ˈbæk təˌrɔɪd or bækˈtɪər iˌɔɪd /

noun

any of the rod-shaped or branched bacteria in the root nodules of nitrogen-fixing plants.

adjective

Also bac·te·roi·dal, bac·te·ri·oi·dal. resembling bacteria.

Nearby words

bacteriostat, bacteriotoxin, bacterium, bacteriuria, bacterize, bacteroid, bacteroides, bacteroides capillosus, bacteroides disiens, bacteroides fragilis, bacteroides melaninogenicus

Origin of bacteroid

First recorded in 1850–55; bacter- + -oid

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

British Dictionary definitions for bacteroid

bacteroid

/ (ˈbæktəˌrɔɪd) /

adjective

resembling a bacterium

noun

any rodlike bacterium of the genus Bacteroides, occurring in the gut of humans and animals

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