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Bacteria vs Microbial - What's the difference?

bacteria | microbial |

As a noun bacteria

is plural of lang=enCategory:English plurals.

As an adjective microbial is

of, relating to, or caused by microbes or microorganisms.

bacteria

English

Etymology 1

From .

Noun

(head)
  • English plurals
  • (US) A type, species, or strain of bacterium
  • * {{quote-book, 2002, A.C. Panchdhari, Water Supply and Sanitary Installations citation
    • , passage=Anaerobic bacteria' function in the absence of oxygen, where as aerobic '''bacteria''' require sunlight and also oxygen. Both these ' bacterias are capable of breaking down the organic matter
  • (US, proscribed)
  • (pejorative, slang) A derisive term for a lowlife or a slob (could be treated as plural or singular).
    • Usage notes
    * This is the plural form of the word. While it is often used as if it were singular (as a collective noun), this is considered nonstandard by some in the US and more elsewhere. See the usage examples under (bacterium).
    Derived terms
    * Bacteria * Eubacteria * Archaebacteria / Archebacteria * eubacteria * archaebacteria / archebacteria
    See also
    * culture (collective noun)

    Etymology 2

    From .

    Noun

    (bacteriae)
  • (dated, medicine) An oval bacterium, as distinguished from a spherical coccus or rod-shaped bacillus

    • Anagrams

    * * ----

    microbial

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Of, relating to, or caused by microbes or microorganisms.
  • *{{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= Katrina G. Claw
    • , title= Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm , volume=101, issue=3, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Many genes with reproductive roles also have antibacterial and immune functions, which indicate that the threat of microbial attack on the sperm or egg may be a major influence on rapid evolution during reproduction.}}