diphtheroid

[ dif-thuh-roid, dip- ]

adjectivePathology.
  1. resembling diphtheria, especially in the formation of a false membrane in the throat.

noun
  1. any bacterium, especially of the genus Corynebacterium, that resembles the diphtheria bacillus but does not produce diphtheria toxin.

Origin of diphtheroid

1
First recorded in 1860–65; diphther(ia) + -oid

Words Nearby diphtheroid

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023