spirochete
or spi·ro·chaete
[ spahy-ruh-keet ]
/ ˈspaɪ rəˌkit /
noun
any of various spiral-shaped motile bacteria of the family Spirochaetaceae, certain species, as Treponema, Leptospira, and Borrelia, being pathogenic to humans and other animals, and other species being free-living, saprophytic, or parasitic.
Origin of spirochete
OTHER WORDS FROM spirochete
spi·ro·chet·al, spi·ro·che·tic, adjectiveWords nearby spirochete
spirketting,
spiro-,
spirochaeta,
spirochaete,
spirochaetosis,
spirochete,
spirochetemia,
spirochetosis,
spirogram,
spirograph,
spirogyra
British Dictionary definitions for spirochaete
spirochaete
US spirochete
/ (ˈspaɪrəʊˌkiːt) /
noun
any of a group of spirally coiled rodlike bacteria that includes the causative agent of syphilis
See treponema
Word Origin for spirochaete
C19: from New Latin
spīrochaeta; see
spiro- ²,
chaeta
Medical definitions for spirochaete
spirochete
[ spī′rə-kēt′ ]
n.
Any of various slender, spiral, motile bacteria of the order Spirochaetales, many of which are pathogenic, causing syphilis, relapsing fever, yaws, and other diseases.
Scientific definitions for spirochaete
spirochete
[ spī′rə-kēt′ ]
Any of various bacteria of the order Spirochaetales that are shaped like a spiral, such as Treponema pallidum, the pathogen that causes syphilis.