subbacterial en · ADJ
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *upó Proto-Italic *supo Latin sub Latin sub-der. English sub- Ancient Greek βακτηρία (baktēría) Proto-Indo-European *-yósder. Ancient Greek -ῐος (-ĭos)? Ancient Greek -ιον (-ion) Ancient Greek βακτήριον (baktḗrion)bor. New Latin bactēriabor. English bacteria English -al English bacterial English subbacterial From sub- + bacterial.
Meanings
-
(not-comparable) smaller than a bacterium
The broadening of bacteriology has opened up new horizons in the field of subbacterial forms and has resulted in the alteration of the name of the study of microorganisms from bacteriology to microbiology.
1978, Harry Lehman, Biology in transition^([archive.org]), page 26:They are used frequently for the separation of particles of sub-bacterial dimensions and for the study of the sizes of the particles of ultramicroscopic viruses, bacteriophage and colloids.
1939, Hans Zinsser, A textbook of bacteriology^([archive.org]), page 916:Diseases that have most stubbornly resisted medical control are those caused by the subbacterial Rickettsiae and viruses. Cause of many tropical diseases, these organisms are the smallest living things. They can exist only side living cells.
1944 May 1, “Tropical Diseases”, in Life^([archive.org]), page 64:
- (not-comparable) Subacute and bacterial.