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bacteria — microscopic single-celled organisms that can cause disease or be beneficial

Part of speech: NOUN

Definition: microscopic single-celled organisms that can cause disease or be beneficial

Pronunciation (IPA): /bækˈtɪriə/

Example Sentences

  • My mom blames bacteria for everything - even my bad grades!
  • Hand sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria, but that 0.1% is probably plotting revenge.
  • Scientists discovered new bacteria species in the deep ocean.

bacteria

NOUN

[/bækˈtɪriə/]

microscopic single-celled organisms that can cause disease or be beneficial

Microscopic organisms good and bad
💡 Concept

Microscopic organisms good and bad

Cafeteria criteria reveal hidden bacteria!
🎵 Rhyme

Cafeteria criteria reveal hidden bacteria!

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🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/bækˈtɪriə/
🇬🇧 UK/bækˈtɪəriə/

🌳Etymology

Rootbacter
Suffix--ia

Origin

The word bacteria derives from Greek 'bakterion', meaning 'small rod' or 'little stick'. The term was coined because early microscopic observation revealed that many bacterial cells appeared rod-shaped, leading scientists to adopt this descriptive name.

Breakdown

baktēr- (rod, staff) + -ion (diminutive suffix meaning small). The diminutive suffix -ion was added to the root baktēr- to emphasize the small size of these rod-like organisms.

🎵Rhyme

cafeteria
hysteria
criteria

🔗Collocations

harmful bacteria
bacteria infection
kill bacteria
bacteria growth
beneficial bacteria
bacteria multiply

📝Examples

😄 Fun example

“My mom blames bacteria for everything - even my bad grades!”

😄 Fun example

“Hand sanitizer kills 99.9% of bacteria, but that 0.1% is probably plotting revenge.”

“Scientists discovered new bacteria species in the deep ocean.”

“Some bacteria can survive in extreme temperatures.”

📚Related Words

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