- Tubercle bacillus
- Tubercle Tu"ber*cle, n. [L. tuberculum, dim. of tuber: cf. F.
tubercule, OF. also tubercle. See {Tuber}.]
[1913 Webster]
1. A small knoblike prominence or excrescence, whether
natural or morbid; as, a tubercle on a plant; a tubercle
on a bone; the tubercles appearing on the body in leprosy.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Med.) A small mass or aggregation of morbid matter; especially, the deposit which accompanies scrofula or phthisis. This is composed of a hard, grayish, or yellowish, translucent or opaque matter, which gradually softens, and excites suppuration in its vicinity. It is most frequently found in the lungs, causing consumption. [1913 Webster]
{Tubercle bacillus} (Med.), a minute vegetable organism ({Mycobacterium tuberculosis}, formerly {Bacillus tuberculosis}, and also called {Koch's bacillus}) discovered by Koch, a German physician, in the sputum of consumptive patients and in tuberculous tissue. It is the causative agent of tuberculosis. [1913 Webster +PJC]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
