What does spirilla mean?
Spirilla is the plural of spirillum, a term for bacteria with long, helically coiled cells. Their spiral shape gives them a distinctive corkscrew appearance and can aid movement through liquid or viscous environments, although not every spirillum moves in the same way. The word belongs primarily to microbiology, medicine, and other scientific fields, where it distinguishes spiral-shaped bacteria from spherical or rod-shaped forms. It should not be confused with spiral, which describes a coiled shape more generally, or with singular spirillum, which refers to a single bacterium. Although spirilla can be described informally as corkscrew-shaped bacteria, the precise plural form is preferred in formal and technical contexts.
noun (plural)Spirilla are bacteria whose cells are shaped like a helix or spiral. The singular form is spirillum.
- Plural of spirillum: bacteria with helically coiled cells.
"The microscope revealed spirilla moving through the sample with their characteristic corkscrew motion."
"Spirilla were visible among the other microorganisms in the culture."
"Some spirilla can move efficiently through viscous environments because of their spiral form."
Spirilla is already the standard plural of spirillum; no further plural form is normally used.
"The specimen contained numerous spirilla."
Spirilla put the corkscrew into microbiology: each is a tiny bacterium built to twist.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does spirilla come from?
The word derives from New Latin spirillum, a diminutive formed from Latin spira, meaning a coil or winding. Latin spirilla, meaning a small coil, was also the source of English spiral and is related to spire through the same Latin stem. The biological sense developed from the bacterium's coiled form.
Related word forms
How spirilla is actually used
The plural form spirilla is standard and is preferred in scientific and technical writing. Spirillum is the singular form of the same noun.
Easily confused with spirilla
A spirillum is one spiral-shaped bacterium, whereas spirilla refers to more than one.
Spiral describes a coiled shape or pattern, whereas spirilla specifically names spiral-shaped bacteria.