Bacillus
/bəˈsɪləs/noun
A rod-shaped bacterium, especially one in the genus Bacillus.
Did you know?Bacillus was coined in scientific Latin from Latin bacillus, a diminutive of baculum (“staff, stick”), because early microbiologists named it for its rod-like shape.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bak-
“a stick, staff, or something rigid”
Latin
Latin
baculum
“staff, stick, rod”
Latin
Latin
bacillus
“little staff; small rod”
19th Century
New Latin
Bacillus
“a genus name for rod-shaped bacteria”
Modern English
English
bacillus
“a rod-shaped bacterium, especially of the genus Bacillus”