-coccus

-coc·cus
/ˈkɒk.əs/US[-ˈkʰɑkəs]

suffix

Any spherical microorganism.

OriginEnglish coccus ← New Latin coccu ← Latin coccum →
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Meanings

suffix-coccus (noun-forming suffix, plural -cocci)

plural -cocci

  1. Any spherical microorganism.

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekκόκκος (kókkos)
  2. Latincoccum
  3. New Latincoccu
  4. Englishcoccus
  5. English-coccus

From coccus, a learned borrowing from New Latin coccus, from Latin coccum (“a berry yielding a scarlet dye”), borrowed from Ancient Greek κόκκος (kókkos, “grain, seed, berry”), possibly from Pre-Greek.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

French -coque
  • -coqueany spherical microorganism
Hungarian -coccus
  • -coccusany spherical microorganism
Italian -còcco
  • -còccoany spherical microorganism
Persian ـکوک
  • ـکوک (-kok)any spherical microorganism
Romanian -coc
  • -cocany spherical microorganism
Turkish -kok
  • -kokany spherical microorganism

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with -coccus

streptococcusenterococcuscryptococcuspneumococcusechinococcuscoccusascococcuscytococcusdiplococcusmacrococcusprotococcus
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

-coccus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-coccus

MLA

“-coccus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-coccus. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “-coccus,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/-coccus.

Source: -coccus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.