Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Plural of coccus, 1.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun Plural form of coccus.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun any spherical or nearly spherical bacteria

Etymologies

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Examples

  • (sometimes several inches across) submerged in it, and consists of more or less gelatinous matrix enclosing innumerable "cocci," "bacteria," or other elements of the Schizomycete concerned.

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2 "Baconthorpe" to "Bankruptcy" Various

  • I am not a microbiologist, but my responsibilities at work often require that I understand the difference between a cocci and a rod, Gram-negative and a Gram-positive, and which organisms are "objectionable".

    Staphylococcus aureus Emma Lurie 2006

  • I'm a Gram Positive cocci like my cousin S. aureus.

    Staphylococcus saprophyticus Emma Lurie 2006

  • I'm a Gram Positive cocci like my cousin S. aureus.

    Archive 2006-11-01 Emma Lurie 2006

  • Now, cocco-bacilli are often misidentified as either rod-shaped bacteria, like diphtheroids; or cocci, like staph or strep.

    Plain Truth JODI PICOULT 2000

  • Now, cocco-bacilli are often misidentified as either rod-shaped bacteria, like diphtheroids; or cocci, like staph or strep.

    Plain Truth JODI PICOULT 2000

  • Now, cocco-bacilli are often misidentified as either rod-shaped bacteria, like diphtheroids; or cocci, like staph or strep.

    Plain Truth JODI PICOULT 2000

  • Thus, whereas it proved possible to attack certain diseases due to protozoa and spirochaetes by means of chemical substances, little success had been achieved with chemical preparations against infections due to true bacteria, namely cocci and bacilli.

    Physiology or Medicine 1939 - Presentation Speech 1965

  • This rough estimate applies to the globular and the egg-shaped bacteria, to which is given the name "coccus" (plural, cocci).

    Scientific American Supplement, No. 810, July 11, 1891 Various

  • Many micro-organisms, whether cocci, bacilli, or of other shapes, are harmless, hence they are called non-pathogenic, to distinguish them from the disease-producing or pathogenic germs.

    Scientific American Supplement, No. 810, July 11, 1891 Various

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