[ 'trɛpəni:m ]
(also treponema -ə )
■ noun a spirochaete bacterium of a genus ( Treponema ) including the causal agents of syphilis and yaws.
Derivatives
treponemal adjective
Origin
early 20th cent.: from mod. L. Treponema , from Gk trepein 'to turn' + nēma 'thread'.