English Online Dictionary. What means bacteria? What does bacteria mean?
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /bakˈtɪə̯.ri.ə/
- (General American) IPA(key): /bækˈtɪɹ.i.ə/
- Rhymes: -ɪəɹiə
Etymology 1
Borrowed from New Latin bacteria, plural of bactērium, from Ancient Greek βακτήριον (baktḗrion, “little rod”).
Noun
bacteria
- plural of bacterium
Noun
bacteria (plural bacterias)
- (US) A type, species, or strain of bacterium.
- (US, proscribed) Alternative form of bacterium.
- (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.
Derived terms
Translations
See also
- culture (collective noun)
Etymology 2
From New Latin bactēria, from Ancient Greek βακτηρίᾱ (baktēríā, “rod, stick”).
Noun
bacteria (plural bacteriae)
- (dated, medicine) An oval bacterium, as distinguished from a spherical coccus or rod-shaped bacillus.
Anagrams
- Arabetic, race-bait
Galician
Noun
bacteria f (plural bacterias)
- bacterium
Latin
Noun
bactēria
- nominative/accusative/vocative plural of bactērium
Spanish
Etymology
Borrowed from New Latin bacteria, plural of bactērium, from Ancient Greek βακτήριον (baktḗrion, “little rod”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /baɡˈteɾja/ [baɣ̞ˈt̪e.ɾja]
- Rhymes: -eɾja
- Syllabification: bac‧te‧ria
Noun
bacteria f (plural bacterias)
- bacterium
Derived terms
Further reading
- “bacteria”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10
Welsh
Etymology
From English bacteria, from New Latin bactēria, plural of bactērium, from Ancient Greek βακτήριον (baktḗrion, “little rod”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /bakˈtɛrja/
- Rhymes: -ɛrja
Noun
bacteria m (collective, singulative bacteriwm)
- bacteria