shortness: the property of being of short spatial extent
length: the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
serratia marcescens: the type species of the genus Serratia; a species found in water and soil and milk and foods and insects; can cause infections of the endocardium and blood and wounds and urinary tract and respiratory tract; has been tested as a bioweapon