-ˈā(ˌ)lēz noun plural
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Chlamydobacteriaceae, typical family + -ales
: an order of chiefly free-living aquatic filamentous bacteria that are commonly ensheathed by an organic matrix which may contain oxides or iron or manganese, that produce no endospores but reproduce by conidia or flagellated swarm spores, and that may exhibit gliding motility like that of certain blue-green algae