coccidium

[ kok-sid-ee-uh m ]

/ kɒkˈsɪd i əm /

|

noun, plural coc·cid·i·a [kok-sid-ee-uh] /kɒkˈsɪd i ə/. Microbiology.

any sporozoan of the order Coccidia, often parasitic in the digestive tracts of certain animals and a cause of coccidiosis.

Nearby words

coccidioides, coccidioidin, coccidioidoma, coccidioidomycosis, coccidiosis, coccidium, cocciferous, coccobacillary, coccobacillus, coccoid, coccolith

Origin of coccidium

< New Latin Coccidium, originally a genus name; see coccus, -idium

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for coccidia

That coccidia are not always killed by exposure to the sun is shown by their survival on the sites of old chicken yards.
Our Vanishing Wild Life|William T. Hornaday
For this reason he regards them as Gregarines rather than Coccidia.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 5|Various

Medicine definitions for coccidia (1 of 2)

Coccidia

[ kŏk-sĭd′ē-ə ]

n.

An order of protozoans that are intracellular parasites in many vertebrates.

Medicine definitions for coccidia (2 of 2)

coccidium

[ kŏk-sĭd′ē-əm ]

n. pl. coc•cid•i•a (-ē-ə)

Any of various protozoan parasites belonging to the order Coccidia.

Related forms

coc•cid′i•al adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.