borrelia

American

[buh-rel-ee-uh, -rel-yuh, -ree-lee-uh, -reel-yuh] / bəˈrɛl i ə, -ˈrɛl jə, -ˈri li ə, -ˈril jə /

noun

Bacteriology.

any of several spiral, parasitic bacteria of the genus Borrelia, certain species of which are pathogenic for humans, other mammals, or birds.

Etymology

Origin of borrelia

< New Latin (1907), named after Amédée Borrel (died 1936); see -ia

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.

See Examples For:

borrelia

The Mayo Clinic defines Lyme disease as an illness “caused by borrelia bacteria” that humans can get if they are bitten by an infected tick.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2025

The Instagram post also depicted other medical records indicating that multiple types of bacteria spread by parasites — such as borrelia, which causes Lyme disease — have been detected in Hadid’s body since 2014.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2023

This fits with previous work suggesting infection with B. borrelia makes ticks more active and eager to bite.

From Science Magazine ● Jan. 6, 2022

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

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