Definitions for bacterium
bækˈtɪər i əmbac·teri·um

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. bacteria, bacteriumnoun

   (microbiology) single-celled or noncellular spherical or spiral or rod-shaped organisms lacking chlorophyll that reproduce by fission; important as pathogens and for biochemical properties; taxonomy is difficult; often considered to be plants

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. bacteriumnoun

   A single celled organism with no nucleus.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. bacterium

   Bacteria ( (listen); singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among the first life forms to appear on Earth, and are present in most of its habitats. Bacteria inhabit soil, water, acidic hot springs, radioactive waste, and the deep biosphere of Earth's crust. Bacteria are vital in many stages of the nutrient cycle by recycling nutrients such as the fixation of nitrogen from the atmosphere. The nutrient cycle includes the decomposition of dead bodies; bacteria are responsible for the putrefaction stage in this process. In the biological communities surrounding hydrothermal vents and cold seeps, extremophile bacteria provide the nutrients needed to sustain life by converting dissolved compounds, such as hydrogen sulphide and methane, to energy. Bacteria also live in symbiotic and parasitic relationships with plants and animals. Most bacteria have not been characterised and there are many species that cannot be grown in the laboratory. The study of bacteria is known as bacteriology, a branch of microbiology. Humans and most other animals carry millions of bacteria. Most are in the gut, and there are many on the skin. Most of the bacteria in and on the body are harmless or rendered so by the protective effects of the immune system, and many are beneficial, particularly the ones in the gut. However, several species of bacteria are pathogenic and cause infectious diseases, including cholera, syphilis, anthrax, leprosy, tuberculosis, tetanus and bubonic plague. The most common fatal bacterial diseases are respiratory infections. Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections and are also used in farming, making antibiotic resistance a growing problem. Bacteria are important in sewage treatment and the breakdown of oil spills, the production of cheese and yogurt through fermentation, the recovery of gold, palladium, copper and other metals in the mining sector, as well as in biotechnology, and the manufacture of antibiotics and other chemicals. Once regarded as plants constituting the class Schizomycetes ("fission fungi"), bacteria are now classified as prokaryotes. Unlike cells of animals and other eukaryotes, bacterial cells do not contain a nucleus and rarely harbour membrane-bound organelles. Although the term bacteria traditionally included all prokaryotes, the scientific classification changed after the discovery in the 1990s that prokaryotes consist of two very different groups of organisms that evolved from an ancient common ancestor. These evolutionary domains are called Bacteria and Archaea.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. bacterium

   A bacterium is a type of single-celled microorganism that forms one of the primary branches of the domain of life known as prokaryotes. They are very diverse in terms of their shapes, sizes, and metabolic abilities, with some being capable of living in extremely harsh environments. Bacteria can be beneficial, participating in processes such as fermentation, decomposition, and nitrogen fixation, but they can also be harmful and cause diseases.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Bacteriumnoun

   a microscopic vegetable organism, belonging to the class Algae, usually in the form of a jointed rodlike filament, and found in putrefying organic infusions. Bacteria are destitute of chlorophyll, and are the smallest of microscopic organisms. They are very widely diffused in nature, and multiply with marvelous rapidity, both by fission and by spores. Certain species are active agents in fermentation, while others appear to be the cause of certain infectious diseases. See Bacillus

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Bacterium

   bak-tē′ri-um, n., Bacteria, bak-tē′ri-a, n.pl. Schizomycetes, extremely small, single-celled, fungoid plants, single or grouped, reproducing rapidly by cross division or by the formation of spores, almost always associated with the decomposition of albuminoid substances, and regarded as the germs or active cause of many diseases.—ns. Bacteriol′ogist; Bacteriol′ogy, the scientific study of bacteria. [Gr. baktērion, dim. of baktron, stick, staff.]

Matched Categories

1. • Microbiology
   • Microorganism

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'bacterium' in Nouns Frequency: #2422

Anagrams for bacterium »

1. cumbraite

How to pronounce bacterium?

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Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of bacterium in Chaldean Numerology is: 1

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of bacterium in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of bacterium in a Sentence

1. Cam Simmons:

   If you can imagine very, very fine injection needles injecting a tiny volume of liquid that contains the Wolbachia bacterium into a mosquito egg.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=bacterium
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Bacterium
3. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacterium
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bacterium
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=bacterium