bacterium
bacterium Lexical Profile
bacterium Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A member of a large domain of unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms that have cell walls but lack a membrane-bound nucleus and organelles, typically taking spherical, rodlike, or spiral shapes, and including both beneficial species and disease-causing pathogens.
Word Nuance & Usage
The singular form is 'bacterium' and the plural is 'bacteria'. In formal and scientific writing, 'bacteria' should always take a plural verb (e.g., 'these bacteria are'), whereas 'bacterium' takes a singular verb (e.g., 'this bacterium is').
• Rhymes for bacterium
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the mid-19th century from Modern Latin 'bacterium', which comes from the Ancient Greek 'baktērion' (meaning 'small staff' or 'rod'), a diminutive of 'baktron' ('staff'), because the first bacteria observed under a microscope were rod-shaped.