bacteria
ubiquitous one-celled organisms, spherical, spiral, or rod-shaped and appearing singly or in chains, comprising numerous and variously classified phyla: among the inestimable number of species are those involved in fermentation, putrefaction, infectious diseases, and nitrogen fixation.
Origin of bacteria
1Other words from bacteria
- bac·te·ri·al, adjective
- bac·te·ri·al·ly, adverb
- non·bac·te·ri·al, adjective
- non·bac·te·ri·al·ly, adverb
- See also Bacteria, domain (def. 6).
Words Nearby bacteria
Other definitions for Bacteria (2 of 2)
(in the three-domain system of classification) the taxonomic domain comprising the bacteria.
Origin of Bacteria
2- See also domain (def. 6).
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use bacteria in a sentence
The more antibiotics are used inappropriately, the greater the risk of bacteria growing resistant to them.
Without Education, Antibiotic Resistance Will Be Our Greatest Health Crisis | Russell Saunders | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhat specific bacteria and viruses can be detected in the sewage?
The Secret to Tracking Ebola, MERS, and Flu? Sewers | Wudan Yan | November 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIf all animals vanished, most bacteria would still live on, but if all bacteria disappeared, we would die quickly.
Why Did It Take So Long For Complex Life To Evolve On Earth? Blame Oxygen. | Matthew R. Francis | November 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTA new book focuses on gut bacteria as the key to a healthy weight.
But consider that when we eat, the bacteria are actually fed first.
bacteria, when present in great numbers, give a uniform cloud which cannot be removed by ordinary filtration.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddIt is to be remembered, however, that a few of these bacteria may reach the sputum from the upper air-passages.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Toddbacteria of various kinds, especially staphylococci, are usually numerous.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddThey are able to migrate readily from place to place and to ingest small bodies, as bacteria.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddUndiluted normal blood can agglutinate most bacteria, but loses this power when diluted to any considerable degree.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell Todd
British Dictionary definitions for bacteria
/ (bækˈtɪərɪə) /
a very large group of microorganisms comprising one of the three domains of living organisms. They are prokaryotic, unicellular, and either free-living in soil or water or parasites of plants or animals: See also prokaryote
Origin of bacteria
1Derived forms of bacteria
- bacterial, adjective
- bacterially, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for bacteria
[ băk-tîr′ē-ə ]
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for bacteria
sing. bacterium
Microorganisms made up of a single cell that has no distinct nucleus. Bacteria reproduce by fission or by forming spores.
Notes for bacteria
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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