(ˌ)rīˌzōbēˈāsēˌē noun plural
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Rhizobium, type genus + -aceae
: a small family of rod-shaped or irregular usually flagellated and gram-negative aerobic bacteria (order Eubacteriales) that includes saprophytes, important nitrogen-fixing symbionts of plants, and some plant pathogens — see agrobacterium , rhizobium