n.
Variant: also spi · ro · chaete
Pronunciation: ' sp ī -r ə - ˌ k ē t
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin Spirochaeta, genus of bacteria, from Latin spira coil + Greek chait ē longitude hair ― more at SPIRE
Date: circa 1877
: any of an order (Spirochaetales) of slender spirally undulating bacteria including those causing syphilis and Lyme disease