NITROBACTERIUM

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of the bacteria in the soil that take part in the nitrogen cycle; they oxidize ammonium compounds into nitrites or oxidize nitrites into nitrates

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("nitrobacterium" is a kind of...):

bacteria; bacterium ((microbiology) single-celled or noncellular spherical or spiral or rod-shaped organisms lacking chlorophyll that reproduce by fission; important as pathogens and for biochemical properties; taxonomy is difficult; often considered to be plants)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "nitrobacterium"):

nitrate bacterium; nitric bacterium (any of the nitrobacteria that oxidize nitrites into nitrates)

nitrite bacterium; nitrous bacterium (any of the nitrobacteria that oxidize ammonia into nitrites)

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