Salmonellae
/ˌsæl.məˈnɛl.iː/noun
Plural of Salmonella, a genus of bacteria that includes many species and strains causing foodborne illness.
Did you know?Salmonella was named in 1900 after American veterinary pathologist Daniel Elmer Salmon, so the eerie-sounding word is not ancient or occult at all—just a modern scientific surname that now carries a very real biological threat.
Etymological Timeline
1900
New Latin
Salmonella
“A bacterial genus named in honor of Daniel Elmer Salmon.”
Late 19th Century
English
salmonella
“A genus of disease-causing bacteria.”
Latin
Latin
Salmo
“Salmon, the fish.”
Modern English
English
salmon
“A large edible fish of the genus Salmo and related genera.”