lactobacillus

[ lak-toh-buh-sil-uhs ]

noun,plural lac·to·ba·cil·li [lak-toh-buh-sil-ahy]. /ˌlæk toʊ bəˈsɪl aɪ/. Bacteriology.
  1. any long, slender, rod-shaped, anaerobic bacterium of the genus Lactobacillus, that produces large amounts of lactic acid in the fermentation of carbohydrates, especially in milk.

Origin of lactobacillus

1
<New Latin (1901); see lacto-, bacillus

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British Dictionary definitions for lactobacillus

lactobacillus

/ (ˌlæktəʊbəˈsɪləs) /


nounplural -li (-laɪ)
  1. any Gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium of the genus Lactobacillus, which ferments carbohydrates to lactic acid, for example in the souring of milk: family Lactobacillaceae

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