Dictionary.com

leptospira

[ lep-tuh-spahy-ruh ]
/ ˌlɛp təˈspaɪ rə /

noun, plural lep·to·spi·rae [lep-tuh-spahy-ree], /ˌlɛp təˈspaɪ ri/, lep·to·spi·ras.Bacteriology.

any of several spirally shaped, aerobic bacteria of the genus Leptospira, certain species of which are pathogenic for human beings.

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of leptospira

<New Latin (1917), equivalent to lepto-lepto- + Latin spīra coil; see spire2

OTHER WORDS FROM leptospira

lep·to·spi·ral, adjective

Words nearby leptospira

leptophyllous, leptorrhine, leptosomatic, leptosome, leptospermum, leptospira, leptospiral jaundice, leptospirosis, leptospiruria, leptosporangiate, leptotene
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Medical definitions for leptospira

Leptospira
[ lĕp′tō-spī′rə ]

n.

A genus of aerobic spirochetes of the order Spirochaetales, consisting of thin, tightly coiled cells, many species of which cause leptospirosis.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.