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spirochete
or spi·ro·chaete
[ spahy-ruh-keet ]
/ ˈspaɪ rəˌkit /
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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.
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OTHER WORDS FROM spirochete
spi·ro·chet·al, spi·ro·che·tic, adjectiveWords nearby spirochete
spirketting, spiro-, Spirochaeta, spirochaete, spirochaetosis, spirochete, spirochetemia, spirochetosis, spirogram, spirograph, spirogyra
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
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.
Medical definitions for spirochete
spirochete
[ spī′rə-kēt′ ]
n.
Any of various slender, spiral, motile bacteria of the order Spirochaetales, many of which are pathogenic, causing syphilis, relapsing fever, yaws, and other diseases.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.