Escherichia coli
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of Escherichia coli
From New Latin; named after Theodor Escherich (died 1911), German physician + coli, genitive singular of Latin colon “large intestine,” used as a specific epithet for Escherichia; see -ia colon 2
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 microbe used by Stephen Wallace, professor of chemical biotechnology at the University of Edinburgh, was Escherichia coli, better known as E. coli.
From BBC • Sep. 25, 2025
Water quality samples collected near the Camp Richardson Resort revealed elevated levels of Escherichia coli, commonly known as E. coli, according to the U.S.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 2, 2025
They found 79 disrupted bacterial membranes and 63 specifically targeted antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.
From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2024
One of the new compounds, lolamicin, selectively targeted some "laboratory strains of gram-negative pathogens including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae," the researchers found.
From Science Daily • May 29, 2024
The organisms on its hit list included strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and other pathogens that have become resistant to most antibiotics currently available.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2024
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
