bacteroid
|bac-te-roid|
/ˈbæk.tə.rɔɪd/
bacterium-like; bacterial form
Etymology
'bacteroid' originates from New Latin/Greek elements: from 'bacter-' (from New Latin 'bacterium', ultimately Greek 'bakterion' meaning 'small staff, rod') combined with the suffix '-oid' (from Greek '-oeidēs', meaning 'like' or 'resembling').
'bacterion' (Greek) -> 'bacterium' (New Latin, used in scientific Latin) -> English combining form 'bacter-' + English suffix '-oid' produced 'bacteroid' in modern scientific English usage.
Initially formed to mean 'resembling a bacterium' (a bacterium-like form); over time it acquired specialized biological senses such as the differentiated, nitrogen-fixing form of rhizobia in root nodules and usage referring to bacteria associated with the genus Bacteroides.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a differentiated form of rhizobial bacteria found within legume root nodules that carries out nitrogen fixation (plural: bacteroids).
Inside the soybean nodule a bacteroid fixes nitrogen for the plant.
Synonyms
Noun 2
a bacterium resembling or associated with the genus Bacteroides; sometimes used to refer to members of Bacteroides or similar anaerobic, rod-shaped gut bacteria.
Researchers isolated several bacteroid strains from the patient's intestinal sample.
Synonyms
Adjective 1
resembling or characteristic of bacteria; bacterium-like.
The lesion showed bacteroid morphology under the microscope.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/29 12:10