coccus
coc·cus / ˈkäkəs/ • n. (pl. coc·ci / ˈkäkˌ(s)ī; ˈkäkˌ(s)ē/ ) Biol. any spherical or roughly spherical bacterium.DERIVATIVES: coc·cal / ˈkäkəl/ adj.coc·coid / ˈkäkˌoid/ adj.
coccus
coccus (kok-ŭs) n. (pl. cocci) any spherical bacterium. See gonococcus, meningococcus, Micrococcus, pneumococcus, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus.
coccus
coccus (pl. cocci) Any spherical bacterium. Cocci may occur singly, in pairs, in groups of four or more, in cubical packets, in grapelike clusters (Staphylococcus), or in chains (Streptococcus). Staphylococci and streptococci include pathogenic species. They are generally nonmotile and do not form spores.
coccus
coccus A spherical, berry-like structure (e.g. the fruit in Coriariaceae), or a bacterial cell that is spherical, or nearly so. The word is derived from the Greek kokkos, meaning ‘berry’.
coccus
coccus pl. cocci insect of the genus so named XVIII; (bot.) carpel of a dried fruit XIX (earlier coccum); (med.) rounded form of bacterium XIX. — modL. — Gr. kókkos berry, seed.
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