n.
Pronunciation: ri- ' ket-s ē - ə
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -si · as or -si · ae \ -s ē - ˌ ē , - ˌ ī \ also -sia
Etymology: New Latin, genus name, from Howard T. Ricketts † 1910 American pathologist
Date: 1919
: any of a family (Rickettsiaceae) of rod-shaped, coccoid, or diplococcus-shaped, often pleomorphic gram-negative bacteria that are intracellular parasites of arthropods (as lice or ticks) and when transmitted to humans cause various diseases (as typhus)
– rick · ett · si · al \ -s ē - ə l \ adjective