corynebacterium \co`ry*ne`bac*ter"i*um\, n. (MIcrobiol.)
Any member of the genus {Corynebacterium}, consisting of
gram-positive usually nonmotile irregularly rod-shaped
bacteria, some of which are pathogenic or parasitic in humans
and domestic animals, such as {Corynebacterium diphtheriae},
which causes diphtheria.
[PJC]