bacteria
/baɡˈteɾja/ · B2 · noun · f
bacteria
🦠 bacteria sounds like 'back-TEAR-ya': tiny germs make you tear up when sick
Say it as 'back-TEH-rya'. Think of a sick day: bacteria are the tiny germs behind it, and the word is almost identical to English 'bacteria', from Greek baktērion, meaning 'little rod' or 'small staff'.