coccus

/'kɔkəs/

Thân thiện

A single coccus bacterium is magnified under a microscope.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A spherical or nearly spherical bacterium: "coccus" refers to any bacterium that has a round or oval shape. This is one of the three primary shapes of bacterial cells.
   • A type of bacterial cell: In microbiology, "coccus" describes the morphology (shape) of a bacterial cell, as opposed to rod-shaped (bacillus) or spiral-shaped (spirillum) bacteria.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • Staphylococcus aureus is a common coccus that can cause skin infections.
  • Under the microscope, the bacteria appeared as a chain of cocci.
  • The lab report identified the pathogen as a gram-positive coccus.

Advanced Usage

• "Cocci" (plural form): The term is most commonly used in its plural form, "cocci," to refer to multiple spherical bacteria.
  • The sample contained numerous gram-negative cocci.
• Used in compound taxonomic names to describe the shape of bacterial genera (e.g., describes a chain of cocci, describes a cluster of cocci).

Variants and Related Words

• Cocci (n, plural): The standard plural form of "coccus."
• Coccal (adj): Relating to or resembling a coccus.
  • The infection had a coccal origin.
• Coccobacillus (n): A short, oval bacterial cell that is intermediate in shape between a coccus and a bacillus.
  • Brucella is classified as a coccobacillus.

Synonyms

• Spherical bacterium: A descriptive synonym emphasizing the shape.
• Round bacterium: A simpler, more general synonym.

Related Terms (Not Phrasal Verbs)

• Bacillus: A rod-shaped bacterium.
• Spirillum: A spiral-shaped bacterium.
• Bacterial morphology: The study of the shape and structure of bacterial cells, where "coccus" is a key category.

Học thuật

Noun

1. any spherical or nearly spherical bacteria

Từ đồng nghĩa

• cocci