Vibrio comma
- noun
- /ˈvɪbrioʊ ˈkɒmə/
- Archaic
:
Vibrio comma
- Although Vibrio comma is no longer the accepted term, it is frequently mentioned in early medical literature.
Examples
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Historical records document outbreaks of cholera caused by Vibrio comma in the 19th century.
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The scientist identified Vibrio comma under the microscope while studying the cause of cholera.
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The Vibrio comma bacterium was once thought to be the cause of cholera.
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In the past, Vibrio comma was the term used for a specific bacterium.
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Historical records document outbreaks of cholera caused by Vibrio comma in the 19th century.
-
The scientist identified Vibrio comma under the microscope while studying the cause of cholera.
-
In the past, Vibrio comma was the term used for a specific bacterium.
Synonyms
A type of bacteria that causes cholera and often lives in water
A curved germ that causes cholera, an illness with severe diarrhea
Surface Forms
Morphology
vibrio + comma
A learner who knows 'vibrio' (a genus of bacteria) and 'comma' would plausibly infer this refers to a comma-shaped bacterium, so the basic compositional sense (a type of bacterium with that shape) is recoverable. However, the specific historical/taxonomic meaning — that it names the cholera-causing species (Vibrio cholerae) — is a specialized, language-specific fact not predictable from the constituents, so the expression is only partially transparent.
Etymology
The noun Vibrio comma may come from how the tiny germ looked under the microscope because it curved like a comma. That's why early doctors used the name for the 'bacterium' that caused 'cholera'.
