bacteriological

IPA/bækˌtɪəriəˈlɒdʒɪkl/
IPA/bækˌtɪriəˈlɑːdʒɪkl/

bacteriological — adjective

  • bacteriologicalpositive
  • more bacteriologicalcomparative
  • most bacteriologicalsuperlative

1. used for tests, research, or information connected with bacteriology, especially

1.adjectiveC2
Definition

used for tests, research, or information connected with bacteriology, especially work on bacteria linked to illness.

Example

The hospital ordered a bacteriological test on the water tank.

collocation: bacteriological test

Sumin filed the bacteriological report after checking the milk sample.

collocation: bacteriological report

Common collocations
  • bacteriological test
  • bacteriological report
  • bacteriological result
  • bacteriological method
Synonyms
  • bacteriologic

    a shorter technical variant, especially in formal scientific writing

  • microbiological

    broader because it can include tiny living things other than bacteria

  • laboratory

    much broader and not limited to bacteria-related work

Grammar Patterns

bacteriological + test

bacteriological + report

bacteriological + result

bacteriological + method

Usage Note

Usually appears before nouns such as test, report, result, record, and method. Use bacterial when you mean the bacteria themselves or an infection they cause.

Common Mistakes

The doctor found a bacteriological infection.
The doctor found a bacterial infection.
bacteriological describes study or testing, while bacterial describes the bacteria or the illness itself.

Word family

  • bacteriology
    nounC2
  • bacteriologist
    nounC2
  • bacteriologically
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Bacteriological usually describes tests, reports, results, or methods used to study bacteria. Bacterial is different: it describes the bacteria themselves or something caused by them, such as a bacterial infection. Microbiological is broader because it can include other tiny living things, not only bacteria. Bacteriologic is mostly a shorter technical variant of bacteriological.

bacterial ↗microbiological ↗bacteriologic ↗

Etymology

GreekEnglish

Bacteriological was formed in English from bacteriology with the adjective ending -ical. Bacteriology ultimately comes from Greek roots that gave English bacterium and -logy, meaning 'study'.

First known use

1882

1882, in the meaning defined at sense 1