-coccal

The combining form –coccal is used like a suffix meaning “pertaining to a 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 –coccal comes from a combination of two forms. The first is –coccus, from Greek kókkos, meaning “grain, seed, or berry.” The second is the suffix –al, from Latin –ālis, meaning “of the kind of, pertaining to, having the form or character of.”

What are variants of –coccal?

While –coccal doesn’t have any variants, it is related to the form –coccus, as in streptococcus. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article for –coccus.

An example of a word you may have encountered that features –coccal is streptococcal, adjective form of streptococcus, a type of bacteria that can cause such illnesses as scarlet fever, strep throat, and tonsillitis.

Strepto– means “twisted,” from Greek streptós, while the form –coccal means “pertaining to a coccus.” Streptococcal literally translates to “pertaining to a twisted coccus.”

What are some words that use the combining form –coccal?

• cryptococcal meningitis
• diplococcal
• echinococcal
• meningococcal
• micrococcal
• pneumococcal

What are some other forms that –coccal may be commonly confused with?

• -coel
• -colous

The combining form micro– means “small.” With this in mind, what does micrococcal literally mean?