Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
purple bacteria

purple bacteria

6.1
Small living things that use light to make energy, look pink or purple, and live where there is little oxygen
  • noun
  • /ˈpɜrpl ˈbæktɪrɪə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : bacterias púrpuras
  • Researchers discovered new species of purple bacteria in the hot springs.

Examples

  • Scientists study purple bacteria to understand their role in photosynthesis.

  • The samples of purple bacteria were collected from the deep sea ecosystems.

  • Besides the work on green sulfur bacteria, cytochrome redox reactions were analyzed in several purple bacteria.

    Academic text (2018)

Surface Forms

purple bacteria singular
purple bacteria plural

Morphology

purple + bacteria

The meaning is directly composed from 'purple' (a color) and 'bacteria' (microorganisms), so it denotes bacteria that are purple in color. This straightforward, compositional relation is cross-linguistically common and a B1 learner who knows both words would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Purple bacteria get their name from their look: the bacteria often appear purple or pink under a microscope. They have special pigments that make them this color, so the name tells you which bacteria people mean.