Bacterium

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bækˈtɪəɹ.ɪəm/

Origin

From New Latin, from Ancient Greek βακτήριον ("small staff") + -ium.

Full definition of bacterium

Noun

1. (microbiology) A single celled organism with no nucleus.
• 2013-07-20, Welcome to the plastisphere, Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field.

Usage notes

In most formal writing, bacterium is the singular form of the noun, and bacteria the plural form. This is in accord with the word's Latin etymology. However, in ordinary speech, some speakers use bacteria as a singular, with plural either bacteria or bacterias. This is usually considered incorrect.

Hyponyms

Hypernyms

• prokaryote

Derived terms

• eubacterium
• archaebacterium
  archebacterium