Dictionary.com

clostridium

[ klo-strid-ee-uhm ]
/ klɒˈstrɪd i əm /

noun, plural clos·trid·i·a [klo-strid-ee-uh]. /klɒˈstrɪd i ə/. Bacteriology.

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.

QUIZZES

CAN YOU GUESS THESE WORDS FROM AROUND THE US?

American English is not always as it appears to be ... get to know regional words in this quiz!
Question 1 of 10
A bet is synonymous with a wager, but what does it mean in New York?
Often it means something is impossible.
It’s another way to agree with someone.
It serves as an apology.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

OTHER WORDS FROM clostridium

clos·trid·i·al, clos·trid·i·an, adjective

Words nearby clostridium

closing price, closing snap, closing time, closing volume, clostridial, clostridium, Clostridium bifermentans, Clostridium botulinum, Clostridium difficile, Clostridium histolyticum, Clostridium novyi
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for clostridium

British Dictionary definitions for clostridium

clostridium
/ (klɒˈstrɪdɪəm) /

noun plural -iums or -ia (-ɪə)

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

Derived forms of clostridium

clostridial 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

Medical definitions for clostridium

Clostridium
[ klŏ-strĭd′ē-əm ]

n.

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