bacteria

See also: Bacteria, bactéria, and bacterià

English

scanning electron micrograph of E. coli bacteria

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /bækˈtɪɹ.i.ə/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /bækˈtɪəɹ.ɪ.ə/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪəɹiə

Etymology 1

Irregular plural of bacterium from New Latin bactēria.

Noun

bacteria

1. plural of bacterium

Noun

bacteria (plural bacterias)

1. (US) A type, species, or strain of bacterium.
   • 2002, A.C. Panchdhari, Water Supply and Sanitary Installations‎^[1], 2nd ed. edition, →ISBN, page 177:

     Anaerobic bacteria function in the absence of oxygen, where as aerobic bacteria require sunlight and also oxygen. Both these bacterias are capable of breaking down the organic matter […]

2. (US, proscribed) Alternative form of bacterium.
3. (derogatory, slang) Lowlife, slob (could be treated as plural or singular).

Usage notes

• This is the plural form of the word. While it is often used as if it were singular (as a collective noun), this is considered nonstandard by some in the US and more elsewhere. See the usage examples under bacterium.

Related terms

• archaebacteria / archebacteria
• Archaebacteria / Archebacteria
• Bacteria
• Eubacteria
• eubacteria

 

Translations

bacterium — see bacterium

See also

• culture (collective noun)

Etymology 2

From New Latin bactēria, from Ancient Greek βακτηρίᾱ (baktēríā, “rod, stick”).

Noun

bacteria (plural bacteriae)

1. (dated, medicine) An oval bacterium, as distinguished from a spherical coccus or rod-shaped bacillus.

Anagrams

• Arabetic, race-bait

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Galician

Noun

bacteria f (plural bacterias)

1. bacterium

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Latin

Noun

bactēria

1. nominative/accusative/vocative plural of bactērium

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Spanish

Etymology

From New Latin bacteria, plural of bactērium, from Ancient Greek βακτήριον (baktḗrion).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Colombia)

  (file)

Noun

bacteria f (plural bacterias)

1. bacterium

Derived terms

• antibacteria
• bacterial
• bacteriano

Further reading

• “bacteria”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014