E. coli

[ ee koh-lahy ]

noun

, Bacteriology.

1. Escherichia coli: a species of rod-shaped, facultatively anaerobic bacteria in the large intestine of humans and other animals, sometimes pathogenic.

E. coli

/ ˌiːˈkəʊlaɪ /

noun

1. short for Escherichia coli; see Escherichia

E. coli

/ ēkō′lī /

1. A bacillus (Escherichia coli) normally found in the human gastrointestinal tract and occurring in numerous strains, some of which are responsible for diarrheal diseases. Other strains have important experimental uses in molecular biology.

Word History and Origins

Origin of E. coli¹

See Escherichia coli ( def )