coccus

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.

An example of a word you may have encountered that features –coccus is streptococcus, the type of bacteria that can cause such illnesses as scarlet fever and strep throat. Streptococcus comes from Latin, which uses the equivalent form in that language.

Strepto– means “twisted,” from Greek streptós, while the form –coccus means “coccus.” Streptococcus literally translates to “twisted coccus.”

What are some words that use the equivalent of the combining form –coccus in Latin?

• cryptococcus
• diplococcus
• echinococcus
• meningococcus
• micrococcus
• pneumococcus

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

• -coel
• -colous

The combining form micro– means “small.” With this in mind, what does the name of the bacteria micrococcus literally mean?