pneumococcus

[ noo-muh-kok-uhs, nyoo‐ ]

noun,plural pneu·mo·coc·ci [noo-muh-kok-sahy, ‐see, nyoo‐]. /ˌnu məˈkɒk saɪ, ‐si, ˌnyu‐/.
  1. a bacterium, Diplococcus pneumoniae, causing lobar pneumonia and associated with certain other diseases, as pericarditis and meningitis.

Origin of pneumococcus

1
From New Latin, dating back to 1885–90; see origin at pneumo-, -coccus

Other words from pneumococcus

  • pneu·mo·coc·cal [noo-muh-kok-uhl, nyoo‐], /ˌnu məˈkɒk əl, ˌnyu‐/, pneu·mo·coc·cic [noo-muh-kok-sik, nyoo‐], /ˌnu məˈkɒk sɪk, ˌnyu‐/, pneu·mo·coc·cous [noo-muh-kok-uhs, nyoo‐], /ˌnu məˈkɒk əs, ˌnyu‐/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pneumococcus in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pneumococcus

pneumococcus

/ (ˌnjuːməʊˈkɒkəs) /


nounplural -cocci (-ˈkɒkaɪ)
  1. a spherical bacterium that occurs in the respiratory tract, esp the Gram-positive Diplococcus pneumoniae, which causes pneumonia

Derived forms of pneumococcus

  • pneumococcal, adjective

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