Bacterious

/bækˈtɪriəs/ adjective

Definition

Containing, producing, or relating to bacteria.

Etymology

From Latin 'bakterion' (rod) + -ous (adjective suffix). An older, less common scientific term from the 1800s that has mostly been replaced by 'bacterial.'

Kelly Says

This word is practically extinct in modern science—'bacterial' took over—but it's a linguistic fossil showing how scientists once used Latin endings to describe microscopic discoveries they barely understood!

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