[ klə'mɪdɪə ]
■ noun ( plural same or ~e -dɪi: ) a very small parasitic bacterium which, like a virus, requires the biochemical mechanisms of another cell in order to reproduce. [Genus Chlamydia , order Chlamydiales.]
Derivatives
~l adjective
Origin
1960s: mod. L., from Gk khlamus , khlamud- 'cloak'.