bacteria

bac·te·ria

noun \bak-ˈtir-ē-ə\

plural bacteria also bac·te·ri·as

Definition of BACTERIA

: bacterium —not usually used technically

Usage Discussion of BACTERIA

Bacteria is regularly a plural in scientific and pedagogical use; in speech and in journalism it is also used as a singular, and it is sometimes pluralized as bacterias <caused by a bacteria borne by certain tiny ticks — Wall Street Journal> <more resistant to chlorine and elevated water temperatures than other bacterias — Allan Bruckheim, M.D., Chicago Tribune>. These journalistic uses are found in British as well as American sources.

Origin of BACTERIA

plural of bacterium

First Known Use: 1881

Other Microbiology Terms

pathogen, salmonella, tetanus

Rhymes with BACTERIA

Algeria, Assyria, asteria, diphtheria, Egeria, Elyria, Iberia, Illyria, Liberia, Nigeria, plumeria, porphyria, Siberia, wisteria

bacteria

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Group of microscopic, single-celled organisms that inhabit virtually all environments, including soil, water, organic matter, and the bodies of multicellular animals. Bacteria are distinguished in part by their morphological and genetic features; for instance, they may have spherical, rodlike, or spiral shapes. They also can be divided into two main groups, gram-positive or gram-negative, based on the structure of their cell wall and their reaction to the gram stain. Many bacteria swim by means of flagella (see flagellum). The DNA of most bacteria is found in a single circular chromosome and is distributed throughout the cytoplasm rather than contained within a membrane-enclosed nucleus. Though some bacteria can cause food poisoning and infectious diseases in humans, most are harmless and many are beneficial. They are used in various industrial processes, especially in the food industry (e.g., the production of yogurt, cheeses, and pickles). Bacteria are genetically distinct from the archaea. As prokaryotic organisms (having no membrane-bound nucleus), they are also distinct from eukaryotes. See also budding bacteria, coliform bacteria, cyanobacteria, denitrifying bacteria, nitrifying bacteria, sheathed bacteria, sulfur bacteria.