spirillum
any of several spirally twisted, aerobic bacteria of the genus Spirillum, certain species of which are pathogenic for humans.
any of various similar microorganisms.
Origin of spirillum
1Other words from spirillum
- spi·ril·lar, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use spirillum in a sentence
The same takes place with the spirilla of recurrent typhus and the microbe of erysipelas.
Each spirilla is animated by the life-force of a plane, and four are at present normally active, one for each round.
Occult Chemistry | Annie Besant and Charles W. LeadbeaterThus we recognise those that are globular—cocci; those that resemble a rod—bacilli; the spiral or wavy forms—spirilla.
Manual of Surgery | Alexis Thomson and Alexander MilesSpirilla are long, slender, thread-like cells, more or less spiral or wavy.
Manual of Surgery | Alexis Thomson and Alexander MilesOften these filaments are not straight, but spirally twisted, and are called "spirilla."
More Science From an Easy Chair | Sir E. Ray (Edwin Ray) Lankester
British Dictionary definitions for spirillum
/ (spaɪˈrɪləm) /
any bacterium having a curved or spirally twisted rodlike body: Compare coccus (def. 1), bacillus (def. 1)
any bacterium of the genus Spirillum, such as S. minus, which causes ratbite fever
Origin of spirillum
1Derived forms of spirillum
- spirillar, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for spirillum
[ spī-rĭl′əm ]
Any of various bacteria that are shaped like a spiral, such as the spirochete Treponema pallidum, which causes syphilis.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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