spi·ril·lum

(spī-rĭl′əm)

n. pl. spi·ril·la (-rĭl′ə)

1. Any of several aerobic bacteria of the genus Spirillum, having an elongated spiral form and bearing tufts of flagellae.

2. Any of various other spiral-shaped bacteria, especially one formerly classified in this genus.

[New Latin Spīrillum, genus name, diminutive of Latin spīra, coil; see spire².]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

spirilla - any flagellated aerobic bacteria having a spirally twisted rodlike form

spirillum

eubacteria, eubacterium, true bacteria - a large group of bacteria having rigid cell walls; motile types have flagella

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Marica Lagoon was the only site where the presence of spirilla, which are associated to microaerophilic environments (Atlas, 1997), was observed, corroborating the environment's hypoxic character (Jones, 2001).

Biochemical and microbiological tools for the evaluation of environmental quality of a coastal lagoon system in Southern Brazil/ Ferramentas bioquimicas e microbiologicas para a avaliacao da qualidade ambiental de um sistema lagunar costeiro no sudeste do Brasil

Most of the bacteria are characterized by three main shapes: rod (rod shaped bacteria are called bacilli), sphere (sphere shaped bacteria are called cocci) and spiral (spiral shaped bacteria are called spirilla or spiral).

Automatic identification and classification of bacterial cells

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.