Definition of 'bacteria'
plural noun
Bacteria are very small organisms. Some bacteria can cause disease.
Chlorine is added to kill bacteria.
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Video: pronunciation of 'bacteria'
plural noun singular -rium (-rɪəm)
a very large group of microorganisms comprising one of the three domains of living organisms. They are prokaryotic, unicellular, and either free-living in soil or water or parasites of plants or animals
See also prokaryote Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
adjective
bacterially (bacˈterially)
adverb
Word origin of 'bacteria'
plural nounWord forms: singular bacˈterium (bækˈtɪriəm
; baktirˈēəm) or bacˈteria
any of a division (Bacteria) of monerans, microorganisms which are typically one-celled,
have no chlorophyll, multiply by simple division, and can be seen only with a microscope: they occur in three main forms, spherical (cocci), rod-shaped (bacilli), and spiral (spirilla): some bacteria cause diseases such as pneumonia and anthrax, and others are necessary for fermentation, nitrogen fixation, etc.
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
adjective
bacterially (bacˈterially)
adverb
Word origin of 'bacteria'
Example sentences containing 'bacteria'
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.
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His eyes glowed bright purple with the light of luminescent bacteria colonies implanted in his irises. THE BROKEN GOD
Rhodes thought of Van Vliet's new theory, the floating soup of amino acids out of which wondrously virulent bacteria would be generated.
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Trends of 'bacteria'
In Common Usage. bacteria is one of the 10000 most commonly used words in the Collins dictionary
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Translations for 'bacteria'
British English: bacteria
/bækˈtɪərɪə/ NOUN
Bacteria are very small organisms which can cause disease.
Chlorine is added to the water to kill bacteria.
- American English: bacteria
- Arabic: بَكْتِيريا
- Brazilian Portuguese: bactéria
- Chinese: 细菌
- Croatian: bakterije
- Czech: bakterie
- Danish: bakterie
- Dutch: bacteriën
- European Spanish: bacterias
- Finnish: bakteerit
- French: bactérie
- German: Bakterien
- Greek: βακτήρια
- Italian: batteri
- Japanese: バクテリア
- Korean: 박테리아
- Norwegian: bakterier
- Polish: bakteria
- European Portuguese: bactéria
- Romanian: bacterii
- Russian: бактерия
- Spanish: bacteria
- Swedish: bakterie
- Thai: เชื้อแบคทีเรีย
- Turkish: bakteri
- Ukrainian: бактерія
- Vietnamese: vi khuẩn
Nearby words of 'bacteria'
Related Terms of 'bacteria'
Source
Definition of bacteria from the
Collins English Dictionary
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