peritrichous

9.9

A small cell with tiny tail-like parts all over its surface that help it move

adjective
/ˌpɛrɪˈtrɪkəs/

Specialized

: peritrico

Unlike monotrichous bacteria, peritrichous cells have flagella covering their entire surface.

Examples

The peritrichous arrangement of flagella enables the bacterium to move efficiently in any direction.
Bacteria can be peritrichous.
In microbiology class, we studied several peritrichous species under the microscope.
The peritrichous bacterium is fascinating!
In microbiology class, we studied several peritrichous species under the microscope.
The peritrichous arrangement of flagella enables the bacterium to move efficiently in any direction.
Unlike monotrichous bacteria, peritrichous cells have flagella covering their entire surface.

Synonyms

flagellated

vsperitrichous

Specialized

1 8.6

Having one or more long thin tails that help the cell move

describes those structures arranged uniformly over the whole cell surface

Surface Forms

peritrichous positive

Morphology

peritrichous = trichous (semi-transparent) = peri + trich + ous

The relation between 'peritrichous' and 'trichous' is semantically regular (peri- 'around' + 'trichous' 'hairy'), but 'trichous' is a rare technical adjective not known to general learners.

Etymology

Peritrichous comes from the Greek parts peri- 'around' and trich- 'hair', so it literally means 'hair all around'. That's a helpful image for bacteria with hair-like flagella covering the whole cell, which lets them move in any direction.