bacillus

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/bəˈsɪləs/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/bəˈsɪləs/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(bə siləs)

Inflections of 'bacillus' (n): npl: bacilli

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
ba•cil•lus /bəˈsɪləs/USA pronunciation   n. [countable], pl. -cil•li 
    /-ˈsɪlaɪ/.USA pronunciation  
  1. Microbiologya rod-shaped or cylindrical type of bacterium.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
ba•cil•lus  (bə siləs),USA pronunciation n., pl. -cil•li 
    (-silī).USA pronunciation 
  1. Microbiologyany rod-shaped or cylindrical bacterium of the genus Bacillus, comprising spore-producing bacteria. See diag. under bacteria. 
  2. Microbiology(formerly) any bacterium.
  • Late Latin, variant of Latin bacillum (diminutive of baculum) staff, walking stick
  • 1880–85

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
bacillus / bəˈsɪləs/ ( -cilli / -ˈsɪlaɪ/)
  1. any rod-shaped bacterium, such as a clostridium bacterium
    Compare spirillum1
  2. any of various rodlike spore-producing bacteria constituting the family Bacillaceae, esp of the genus Bacillus
Etymology: 19th Century: from Latin: a small staff, from baculum walking stick
'bacillus' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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