meningococcus

[ muh-ning-goh-kok-uh s ]

/ məˌnɪŋ goʊˈkɒk əs /

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.

Words nearby meningococcus

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

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

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

Examples from the Web for meningococcus

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
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

Medicine 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.