balantidial
|bal-an-ti-di-al|
/ˌbælənˈtɪdiəl/
pertaining to Balantidium infection
Etymology
'balantidial' originates from New Latin/Modern medical formation, specifically the word 'Balantidium' (a genus name) combined with the adjectival suffix '-al', where the root 'Balantidium' referred to the ciliate genus and '-al' meant 'pertaining to'.
'balantidial' formed in modern medical English from New Latin 'Balantidium' (the genus name used for the parasite) plus the English adjectival suffix '-al', resulting in the modern adjective 'balantidial'.
Initially it meant 'pertaining to the genus Balantidium', but over time it has been used specifically to mean 'relating to infections (balantidiasis) caused by Balantidium'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
relating to or caused by the genus Balantidium (especially Balantidium coli); pertaining to balantidiasis or infections by Balantidium.
The researchers reported several cases of balantidial enteritis among the farm workers.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/04 06:18