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bacteria
/bækˈtɪəɹ.ɪ.ə/
The word "bacteria" is the plural form of "bacterium". In everyday conversation, people often use "bacteria" for both one organism and many organisms, but in scientific writing, "bacterium" is used for a single cell. Because it is grammatically plural, you should typically use it with plural verbs. For example, say "Bacteria are found everywhere" rather than "Bacteria is found everywhere".
💬Casual Conversation
🎬Tuesday afternoon; Sarah is staring at a smudge on her desk while David is in a meeting.
David Smith
Just read that the office keyboards are breeding grounds for bacteria. We need to pivot to a 'hygiene-first' workspace.
Sarah
I'm barely keeping my head above water, David. Please just leave me alone.
💡
David uses a corporate buzzword ('pivot') to describe a simple cleaning task, while Sarah uses the idiom 'keeping my head above water' to express that she is overwhelmed with work and lacks the mental capacity for his distractions.