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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use spirochete in a sentence

Scientific definitions for spirochete

spirochete
[ spīrə-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.
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