streptococcus
UK /ˌstɹɛptəˈkɒkəs/ · US /ˌstɹɛptəˈkɑkəs/ noun
Forms streptococci
- 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.
Synonyms
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.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “streptococcus”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details