This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
spirochete
or spi·ro·chaete
[ spahy-ruh-keet ]
/ ˈspaɪ rəˌkit /
See the most commonly confused word associated with spirillum
Save This Word!
This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
noun
any of various spiral-shaped motile bacteria of the phylum Spirochaetes, distinguished by twisting flagella that run lengthwise between the bacterium’s inner and outer membranes, and inclusive of the family Spirochaetaceae, noted for certain pathogenic species that cause Lyme disease, syphilis, and other illnesses.
COMPARE MEANINGS
Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
OTHER WORDS FROM spirochete
spi·ro·chet·al, spi·ro·che·tic, adjectiveWords nearby spirochete
spirit writing, spirketting, spiro-, spirochaete, spirochaetosis, spirochete, spirochetosis, spirograph, spirogyra, spiroid, spirometer
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use spirochete in a sentence
By far the most important of these is the spirillum or spirochete of Obermeier, which has been already carefully described.
Scientific definitions for spirochete
spirochete
[ spī′rə-kēt′ ]
Any of various bacteria of the order Spirochaetales that are shaped like a spiral, such as Treponema pallidum, the pathogen that causes syphilis.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.