Coccidioides

[ kok-sid-ee-oi-deez ]

noun

, Mycology.

1. a genus of fungi, occurring as both mold and yeast, with species especially present in the soil of the southwestern United States and parts of Mexico, Central America, and South America: Breathing in their microscopic spores can cause coccidioidomycosis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Coccidioides¹

First recorded in 1900–05; coccidi(um) ( def ) + New Latin -oīdēs, from Greek -oeidēs -oid ( def )