halobacteria

[ hal-oh-bak-teer-ee-uh ]

plural noun

, Microbiology.

, singular hal·o·bac·te·ri·um [hal-oh-bak-, teer, -ee-, uh, m].

1. former name of the haloarchaea, assigned before the archaea were recognized as organisms distinct from bacteria.

Word History and Origins

Origin of halobacteria¹

First recorded in 1975–80; halo- + bacteria; compare New Latin Halobacterium a genus of such bacteria

Example Sentences

Instead, tests have indicated the source of the pink hue was likely halobacteria, a type of archaea, or single-celled organism that thrive in bodies of water with high levels of salt, the service said.

From New York Times

The preliminary theory is that halobacteria, a single-celled organism that thrives in high-salinity environments, has bloomed and turned the water pink.

From Washington Times

Instead an organism called halobacteria might be the culprit.

From Seattle Times

Bisson encouraged the modified halobacteria to replicate and sequenced their DNA to ensure the new code was unaltered.

From Science Magazine

The pink color of this lake comes from its high salt content and the organisms living inside of it: algae and little dudes called halobacteria.

From Time