e. coli

1. 1.

   a species of bacterium normally present in intestinal tract of humans and other animals; sometimes pathogenic; can be a threat to food safety

   SynonymsEscherichia coli

   Broaderescherichia

Questions about e. coli

What does e. coli mean?

e. coli means "a species of bacterium normally present in intestinal tract of humans and other animals; sometimes pathogenic; can be a threat to food safety".

What is another word for e. coli?

Close synonyms include Escherichia coli. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

Is e. coli a common word?

e. coli is banded "Uncommon" — turns up in careful writing rather than conversation. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.