streptococcus

Pronunciation: /ˌstɹɛptəˈkɒkəs/

The English word “streptococcus” has 1 meaning listed here.

noun

A spherical, gram-positive bacterium of the genus Streptococcus. Although commonly found benignly in the human mouth and gut, and though many species are non-pathogenic, other species can cause diseases including strep throat and more serious conditions.

Etymology

Morphologically a compound of strepto- + -coccus. They grow in chains or pairs, thus the name — from Ancient Greek στρεπτός (streptós, “twisted, pliant”), like a chain. Compare the genus name Streptococcus.

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More English words

streptococcic
streptococcicidal
streptococcin
streptococcosis
streptodornase
streptogramin
streptogrisin
streptokinase

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.