Bacteria
/bækˈtɪəriə/noun
Microscopic single-celled organisms, including many harmless and beneficial species as well as disease-causing ones.
Did you know?The term ultimately comes from Ancient Greek baktron, meaning “staff” or “rod,” because early microscopes revealed many bacteria as tiny rod-shaped forms.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*bak-
“A reconstructed root associated with a staff, stick, or rod”
Ancient Greek
Greek
baktron
“Staff, stick, or rod”
Ancient Greek
Greek
bakterion
“Little staff or little rod; a diminutive form of baktron”
1830s
New Latin
bacterium
“A microscopic organism, named from its rod-like appearance”
1838
German
Bakterien
“Ehrenberg’s term for microscopic organisms observed under the microscope”
Modern English
English
bacteria
“Plural of bacterium; microscopic single-celled organisms”