Eugonic

/juːˈɡɒnɪk/ adjective

Definition

Describing bacteria that grow rapidly and robustly in culture, producing abundant colonies on growth media.

Etymology

From Greek 'eu-' (well, good) + 'gonos' (generation, growth). Coined in microbiology to distinguish vigorous-growing bacteria from slow-growing variants.

Kelly Says

Eugonic bacteria are the overachievers of the microbial world—they colonize so quickly that they're usually the 'weeds' that outcompete slower species, which is why antibiotic-resistant bacteria often start out eugonic before the antibiotics slow them down.

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.