spirochete

or spi·ro·chaete

[ spahy-ruh-keet ]

/ ˈspaɪ rəˌkit /

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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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Origin of spirochete

First recorded in 1875–80; <New Latin spīrochaeta. See spiro-², chaeta

OTHER WORDS FROM spirochete

spi·ro·chet·al, spi·ro·che·tic, adjective

Words nearby spirochete

spirit writing, spirketting, spiro-, spirochaete, spirochaetosis, spirochete, spirochetosis, spirograph, spirogyra, spiroid, spirometer

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.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various

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.