Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

bacillus

/bæˈsɪl.əs/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.70 in modern English

Syllables: bacil-lus
IPA: /bæˈsɪl.əs/

12

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of various rod-shaped, spore-forming aerobic bacteria in the genus Bacillus, some of which cause disease.

noun

Any bacilliform (rod-shaped) bacterium.

noun

Something which spreads like bacterial infection.

Example Sentences

"'This again,' said the Bacteriologist, slipping a glass slide under the microscope, 'is a preparation of the celebrated Bacillus of cholera - the cholera germ.'"
""You will conceive a bunch of grapes," said he, "which are covered by some infinitesimal but noxious bacillus."
"The “bacillus of boom or depression,” he wrote, travels freely “from country to country.”"

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin bacillus (“little staff, wand”), diminutive of baculum (“stick, staff, walking stick”).

Inflected Forms

bacilli (plural)

Derived Forms

Actinobacillus bacillicidal bacillicide bacilliferous colibacillus microbacillus thiobacillus

Phrases

comma bacillus Döderlein's bacillus Eberth's bacillus Klebs-Löffler bacillus Koch's bacillus

Synonyms

b

Rhymes With

lactobacillus amaryllis mcgillis squillace

Questions

How do you pronounce bacillus?: The recorded pronunciation is /bæˈsɪl.əs/.
What does bacillus mean?: Any of various rod-shaped, spore-forming aerobic bacteria in the genus Bacillus, some of which cause disease.
Where does bacillus come from?: Learned borrowing from Latin bacillus (“little staff, wand”), diminutive of baculum (“stick, staff, walking stick”).

How to pronounce bacillus

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “bacillus”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/bæˈsɪl.əs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “bacillus”.
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