n.
Pronunciation: i- ˌ k ī -n ə - ' kä-k ə s
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -coc · ci \ - ' käk- ˌ (s) ī , - ' käk-( ˌ )(s) ē \
Etymology: New Latin, genus name
Date: 1839
: any of a genus ( Echinococcus ) of tapeworms that alternate a minute adult living as a commensal in the intestine of carnivores with a hydatid larva invading tissues especially of the liver of cattle, sheep, swine, and humans and acting as a dangerous pathogen