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• coccus
  coccus

  noun

  a spherical bacterium.
• -coccus
  -coccus

  a combining form representing coccus in compound words.

coccus

¹ American  

[kok-uhs] / ˈkɒk əs /

noun

cocci plural

1. Bacteriology. a spherical bacterium.

2. Botany. one of the carpels of a schizocarp.

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-coccus ² American  

1. a combining form representing coccus in compound words.

   streptococcus.

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coccus British  

/ ˈkɒkəs, ˈkɒksɪk /

noun

1. any spherical or nearly spherical bacterium, such as a staphylococcus Compare bacillus spirillum

2. the part of a fruit that contains one seed and separates from the whole fruit at maturity

3. any of the scale insects of the genus Coccus

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coccus Scientific  

/ kŏk′əs /

cocci plural

1. Any of various bacteria having a round or ovoid form such as streptococcus or staphylococcus, usually grouped in chains.

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Usage

What does -coccus mean? The combining form -coccus is used like a suffix meaning “coccus.” Coccus is a scientific term with two meanings. In terms from bacteriology, it means "spherical bacterium." In terms from botany, it refers to the mericarp, one segment of a schizocarp, a kind of fruit. The form -coccus comes from Greek kókkos, meaning “grain, seed, or berry.” The Latin equivalent of kókkos is grānum, “grain” or “seed,” which is the source of words such as grain, granite, and granular. Discover more at our entry for each word. What are variants of -coccus?While -coccus doesn't have any variants, it is related to the form -coccal, as in streptococcal. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article for -coccal.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• coccous
  adjective
• coccoid
  adjective
• coccic
  adjective
• coccal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

noun

• cocci
  plural

Etymology

Origin of coccus

1755–65; < New Latin < Greek kókkos grain, seed, berry

Example Sentences

This is caused by an insect of the genus Coccus, who stings the young twigs, at the same time laying its eggs in them, causing them to exude the gum.

From The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits by Parsons, Mary Elizabeth

Species of Coccus, Lachnus, and Chermes also produce cankers on forest trees.

From Disease in Plants by Ward, H. Marshall

Coccus forms, belonging to both liquefying and non-liquefying types are most generally present.

From Outlines of dairy bacteriology A concise manual for the use of students in dairying by Hastings, Edwin George

Plantations of the nopal and the tuna, which are called nopaleries, are established for the purpose of rearing this insect, the Coccus Cacti, and these often contain as many as 50,000 plants.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4 "Bulgaria" to "Calgary" by Various

The Coccus, too, which has caused so much destruction among our orchards at home, is fortunately still unknown here.

From Account of a Tour in Normandy, Volume 2 by Turner, Dawson