Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

salmonella

American  
[sal-muh-nel-uh] / ˌsæl məˈnɛl ə /

noun

Bacteriology.

plural

salmonellae
  1. any of several rod-shaped, facultatively anaerobic bacteria of the genus Salmonella, as S. typhosa, that may enter the digestive tract of humans and other mammals in contaminated food and cause abdominal pains and violent diarrhea.


salmonella British  
/ ˌsælməˈnɛlə /

noun

  1. any Gram-negative rod-shaped aerobic bacterium of the genus Salmonella, including S. typhosa, which causes typhoid fever, and many species (notably S. enteritidis ) that cause food poisoning ( salmonellosis ): family Enterobacteriaceae

"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

salmonella Scientific  
/ săl′mə-nĕlə /

plural

salmonellae
  1. Any of various gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria of the genus Salmonella that cause food poisoning and typhoid fever in humans and other mammals.


salmonella Cultural  
  1. A category of bacteria that occurs in many pathogenic forms. One kind causes typhoid fever; there is evidence that other kinds cause various forms of food poisoning.


Etymology

Origin of salmonella

< New Latin (1900), after Daniel E. Salmon (1850–1914), U.S. pathologist; -ella

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.

Irwin Mitchell solicitors said its clients had reported contracting gastric illnesses such as E coli, salmonella and shigella, and parasitic infections such as cryptosporidium.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

In the first study, researcher Navish Wadhwa and his team found that salmonella and E. coli can migrate across moist surfaces even when their flagella are disabled.

From Science Daily • Mar. 13, 2026

Of course, safety issues abound in commercial dog food, too, where recalls for salmonella and listeria contamination are fairly common.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

Say something early to avoid potential salmonella poisoning and, all going well, so you can all enjoy it.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 27, 2025

They used HeLa to test the effects of steroids, chemotherapy drugs, hormones, vitamins, and environmental stress; they infected them with tuberculosis, salmonella, and the bacterium that causes vaginitis.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot