archaebacteria

[ ahr-kee-bak-teer-ee-uh ]

plural noun

, Microbiology.

, singular ar·chae·bac·te·ri·um [ahr-kee-bak-, teer, -ee-, uh, m].

1. a former term for the archaea, which in the three-domain system are no longer classified, either in kingdom or domain, with the bacteria.

archaebacteria

/ ˌɑːkɪbækˈtɪərɪə /

plural noun

1. (formerly) a group of microorganisms now regarded as members of the Archaea See archaean

Word History and Origins

Origin of archaebacteria¹

First recorded in 1975–80; from New Latin; Archae- is irregular for archaeo- (perhaps an erroneous Latinizing of Greek arche- ); arche-, archaeo-, bacteria

Word History and Origins

Origin of archaebacteria¹

from archaeo- + bacteria

Example Sentences

The phylogenetic evidence suggests that the archaebacteria are at least as old as the other major groups.

From Scientific American

Moreover, some of the archaebacteria have a form of metabolism that seems particularly well suited to the conditions believed to have prevailed in the early history of life on the earth.

From Scientific American

The supposed great antiquity of the archaebacteria remains an unproved prejudice, but it is a plausible one.

From Scientific American

The name archaebacteria implies that these organisms were the dominant ones in the primeval biosphere.

From Scientific American

They revealed nothing about the quality of the differences—the phenotypic differ­ences—between the archaebacteria and the true bacteria.

From Scientific American