ˌmīkəˌplazməˈtāsēˌē noun plural
Usage: capitalized
Etymology: New Latin, from Mycoplasmat-, Mycoplasma, type genus + -aceae
: a family (coextensive with the order Mycoplasmatales) of minute pleomorphic gram-negative nonmotile microorganisms that are intermediate in some respects between viruses and bacteria, are reported to have complex life cycles, and are mostly parasitic usually in mammals — compare pleuropneumonia ; see borrelomycetaceae