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bacterium - 8 dictionary results
bac⋅te⋅ri⋅um
[bak-teer-ee-uh
m] 
–noun
| sing. of bacteria. |
Origin:
1840–50; < NL < Gk bakt
rion, dim. of baktēría staff; akin to báktron stick, L baculum, bacillum
1840–50; < NL < Gk bakt
rion, dim. of baktēría staff; akin to báktron stick, L baculum, bacillum
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Language Translation for : bacterium
| Spanish: | bacteria, | German: | die Bakterien, | Japanese: | 細菌 |
bac⋅te⋅ri⋅a
[bak-teer-ee-uh] –plural noun, singular -te⋅ri⋅um
[-teer-ee-uhm] .
[-teer-ee-uhm] . | ubiquitous one-celled organisms, spherical, spiral, or rod-shaped and appearing singly or in chains, comprising the Schizomycota, a phylum of the kingdom Monera (in some classification systems the plant class Schizomycetes), various species of which are involved in fermentation, putrefaction, infectious diseases, or nitrogen fixation. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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| bac·te·ri·um
(bāk-tîr'ē-əm) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. bac·te·ri·a (-tîr'ē-ə) Any of the unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms of the class Schizomycetes, which vary in terms of morphology, oxygen and nutritional requirements, and motility, and may be free-living, saprophytic, or pathogenic in plants or animals. [New Latin bactērium, from Greek baktērion, diminutive of baktron, rod; see bak- in Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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| bacterium | |
noun | |
| (microbiology) single-celled or noncellular spherical or spiral or rod-shaped organisms lacking chlorophyll that reproduce by fission; important as pathogens and for biochemical properties; taxonomy is difficult; often considered to be plants [syn: bacteria] |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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| bacterium
(bāk-tîr'ē-əm) Pronunciation Key
Plural bacteria
Any of a large group of one-celled organisms that lack a cell nucleus, reproduce by fission or by forming spores, and in some cases cause disease. They are the most abundant lifeforms on Earth, and are found in all living things and in all of the Earth's environments. Bacteria usually live off other organisms. Bacteria make up most of the kingdom of prokaryotes (Monera or Prokaryota), with one group (the archaea or archaebacteria) often classified as a separate kingdom. See also archaeon, prokaryote.
bacterial adjective
Our Living Language : It is important to remember that bacteria is the plural of bacterium, and that saying a bacteria is incorrect. It is correct to say The soil sample contains millions of bacteria, and Tetanus is caused by a bacterium. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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bacterium bac·te·ri·um (bāk-tēr'ē-əm)
n. pl. bac·te·ri·a (-tēr'ē-ə)
Any of the unicellular, prokaryotic microorganisms of the class Schizomycetes, which vary in terms of morphology, oxygen and nutritional requirements, and motility, and may be free-living, saprophytic, or pathogenic, the latter causing disease in plants or animals.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Main Entry: bac·te·ri·um
Pronunciation: bak-'tir-E-&m
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural bac·te·ria /-E-&/
: any of a group (as kingdom Procaryotae or kingdom Monera or the former class Schizomycetes) of prokaryotic unicellular round, spiral, or rod-shaped single-celledmicroorganisms that are often aggregated into colonies or motile by means of flagella, that live in soil, water, organic matter, or the bodies of plants and animals, and that are autotrophic,saprophytic, or parasitic in nutrition and important because of their biochemical effects and pathogenicity
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Bacterium
Bac*te"ri*um\, n.; pl. Bacteria. [NL., fr. Gr. ?, ?, a staff: cf. F. bact['e]rie. ] (Biol.) A microscopic vegetable organism, belonging to the class Alg[ae], usually in the form of a jointed rodlike filament, and found in putrefying organic infusions. Bacteria are destitute of chlorophyll, and are the smallest of microscopic organisms. They are very widely diffused in nature, and multiply with marvelous rapidity, both by fission and by spores. Certain species are active agents in fermentation, while others appear to be the cause of certain infectious diseases. See Bacillus.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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