meningococcus

[ muh-ning-goh-kok-uhs ]

/ məˌnɪŋ goʊˈkɒk əs /

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noun, plural me·nin·go·coc·ci

[muh-ning-goh-kok-sahy, -see]. /məˌnɪŋ goʊˈkɒk saɪ, -si/.

a reniform or spherical bacterium, Neisseria meningitidis, that causes cerebrospinal meningitis.

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Origin of meningococcus

From New Latin, dating back to 1890–95; see origin at meninges, -o-, coccus

OTHER WORDS FROM meningococcus

me·nin·go·coc·cal, me·nin·go·coc·cic

[muh-ning-goh-kok-ik, -kok-sik], /məˌnɪŋ goʊˈkɒk ɪk, -ˈkɒk sɪk/, adjective

Words nearby meningococcus

meningo-, meningocele, meningococcall, meningococcal meningitis, meningococcemia, meningococcus, meningocortical, meningocyte, meningoencephalitis, meningoencephalocele, meningoencephalomyelitis

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use meningococcus in a sentence

Despite the “meningo-” prefix, meningococcus causes two distinct clinical diseases, each accounting for about half the illnesses.
Princeton Considers Vaccinations for Slow-Moving Meningitis Outbreak|Kent Sepkowitz|November 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Princeton outbreak also marks the third time meningococcus has been in the news recently.
Princeton Considers Vaccinations for Slow-Moving Meningitis Outbreak|Kent Sepkowitz|November 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And it is likely that the same is true of the meningococcus currently being spread.
Is There Such a Thing as a ‘Gay Disease’?|Kent Sepkowitz|April 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Fortunately for meningococcus, we surely have the tools to prevent the next case.
New York’s Meningococcus Scare: Outbreak in Gay Community|Kent Sepkowitz|September 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Few infectious diseases are as frightening as meningococcus.
New York’s Meningococcus Scare: Outbreak in Gay Community|Kent Sepkowitz|September 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The meningococcus and the virus of poliomyelitis pass from the nose into the cranial cavity without local lesions in the former.
The Fundamentals of Bacteriology|Charles Bradfield Morrey

British Dictionary definitions for meningococcus

meningococcus

/ (mɛˌnɪŋɡəʊˈkɒkəs) /

noun plural -cocci (-ˈkɒkaɪ)

the bacterium that causes cerebrospinal meningitis

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for meningococcus

meningococcus

[ mə-nĭng′gə-kŏk′əs, -nĭn′jə- ]

n. pl. me•nin•go•coc•ci (-kŏk′sī, -kī)

A bacterium (Neisseria meningitidis) that causes cerebrospinal meningitis.

Other words from meningococcus

me•nin′go•coc′cal (-kŏk′əl) null adj.