nitrobacteria

[ nahy-troh-bak-teer-ee-uh ]

/ ˌnaɪ troʊ bækˈtɪər i ə /

plural noun, singular ni·tro·bac·te·ri·um [nahy-troh-bak-teer-ee-uh m] /ˌnaɪ troʊ bækˈtɪər i əm/.

certain bacteria in the soil involved in nitrifying processes.

Nearby words

nitro compound, nitro dye, nitro group, nitro-, nitro-chalk, nitrobacteria, nitrobenzene, nitroblue tetrazolium test, nitrocellulose, nitrochloroform, nitrocotton

Origin of nitrobacteria

First recorded in 1890–95; nitro- + bacteria

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for nitrobacteria

nitrobacteria

/ (ˌnaɪtrəʊbækˈtɪərɪə) /

pl n singular -terium (-ˈtɪərɪəm)

soil bacteria of the order Pseudomonadales that are involved in nitrification, including species of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter

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