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E. co·li

(ē kōlī)

A bacterium (Escherichia coli) normally found in the human gastrointestinal tract and existing as numerous strains, some of which are responsible for diarrheal diseases. Some strains have been used experimentally as model organisms for the study of biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics.

[New Latin E(scherichia) colī, species name : after Theodor Escherich (1857-1911), German physician + Latin colī, genitive of colon, colon; see COLON².]

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E. coli

Escherichia coli in a human intestine

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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