purple bacteria
plural noun
a group of Gram-negative pink to purplish-brown bacteria, comprising the purple sulfur bacteria and purple nonsulfur bacteria, that occur in anaerobic aquatic environments and carry out a unique form of photosynthesis without oxygen, using the pigment bacteriochlorophyll.
Origin of purple bacteria
First recorded in 1895–1900
Words nearby purple bacteria
purlin plate,
purloin,
purpart,
purparty,
purple,
purple bacteria,
purple beech,
purple boneset,
purple chokeberry,
purple emperor,
purple finch
Example sentences from the Web for purple bacteria
There are also other bacteria (sulphur-bacteria, purple-bacteria, etc.) that show various peculiarities of metabolism.
The Wonders of Life |Ernst Haeckel