ˌkarēˈäfəˌnän noun
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from cary- + Greek phanon, neuter of phanos bright, from phaos light — more at fancy
: a genus (coextensive with the family Caryophanaceae) of large filamentous or bacillary bacteria of oral mucous membranes and the alimentary tract of various mammals that are closely related to the chlamydobacteria though usually placed in a separate order and are distinguished by well-defined nuclei comparable to isolated chromosomes, peritrichous or no flagella, and absence of spores