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clostridium

[klo-strid-ee-uh m]
noun, plural clos·trid·i·a [klo-strid-ee-uh] /klɒˈstrɪd i ə/. Bacteriology.
  1. any of several rod-shaped, spore-forming, anaerobic bacteria of the genus Clostridium, found in soil and in the intestinal tract of humans and animals.
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Origin of clostridium

1880–85; < New Latin < Greek klōstr-, variant stem of klōstḗr spindle (klōs-, variant stem of klṓthein (see Clotho) + -tēr agent suffix) + New Latin -idium -idium
Related formsclos·trid·i·al, clos·trid·i·an, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for clostridium

Contemporary Examples of clostridium

Historical Examples of clostridium

  • For the spores of Clostridium tetani, the culture should be three days old, but may be as old as a week.

    The Fundamentals of Bacteriology

    Charles Bradfield Morrey

British Dictionary definitions for clostridium

clostridium

noun plural -iums or -ia (-ɪə)
  1. any anaerobic typically rod-shaped bacterium of the genus Clostridium, occurring mainly in soil, but also in the intestines of humans and animals: family Bacillaceae . The genus includes the species causing botulism and tetanus
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Derived Formsclostridial or clostridian, adjective

Word Origin for clostridium

C20: from New Latin, literally: small spindle, from Greek klōstēr spindle, from klōthein to spin; see -ium
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
clostridium in Medicine

Clostridium

(klŏ-strĭd′ē-əm)
n.
  1. A genus of rod-shaped, spore-forming, chiefly anaerobic bacteria including the nitrogen-fixing bacteria found in soil and those causing botulism and tetanus.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.