n., pl., -i·a (-ē-ə).
Any of various rod-shaped, spore-forming, chiefly anaerobic bacteria of the genus Clostridium, such as the nitrogen-fixing bacteria found in soil and those causing botulism and tetanus.
[New Latin Clōstridium, genus name, from Greek klōstēr, klōstr-, spindle, from klōthein, to spin.]
clostridial clos·trid'i·al (-əl) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
