bacteroid

American

[bak-tuh-roid] / ˈbæk təˌrɔɪd /

Also bacterioid

noun

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

adjective

Also bacteroidal bacterioidal resembling bacteria.

bacteroid British

/ ˈbæktəˌrɔɪd /

adjective

resembling a bacterium

"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

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

Etymology

Origin of bacteroid

First recorded in 1850–55; bacter- ( def. ) + -oid

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.

The lumps are filled with small living organisms called bacteria, and, hence, have been called bacteroid tubercles.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023