n.
Pronunciation: - ' kä-k ə s
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -coc · ci \ - ' käk- ˌ s ī , - ˌ s ē , - ' kä- ˌ k ī , - ˌ k ē \
Etymology: New Latin, genus name
Date: circa 1881
: any of various encapsulated bacteria (as Streptococcus pneumoniae, a common cause of pneumonia) that usually occur in pairs and that were formerly grouped in a single taxon (genus Diplococcus ) but are now all assigned to other genera