Bacillus thuringiensis
[ thoo-rin-jee-en-sis ]
/ θʊˌrɪn dʒiˈɛn sɪs /
noun
a bacterium used in genetically altered form in the biological control of budworms, gypsy moth larvae, Japanese beetles, and other insect pests. Abbreviation: B.t.
Origin of Bacillus thuringiensis
< New Latin (1915): Thuringian bacillus; so named in reference to its discovery in larvae of Mediterranean flour moths from a mill in Thuringia