Main Entry: vib·rio

Pronunciation: \ˈvib-rē-ō\

Function: noun

1 capitalized : a genus of short rigid motile bacteria of the family Vibrionaceae that are straight or curved rods, have one or sometimes two or three polar flagella enclosed in a sheath, and include various saprophytes and a few pathogens (as V. cholerae, the cause of cholera in humans)
2 : any bacterium of the genus Vibrio ; broadly : a curved rod-shaped bacterium