Coccal

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Describing a category of bacteria that are characterized by their spherical morphology
2. Pertaining to microorganisms that present a globular shape and are often found in clusters or chains
3. Referring to bacteria with a round shape often found individually or in groups

Etymology: Coccal comes from "coccus," a New Latin term for a round bacterium, borrowed from Greek "kokkos," meaning berry or grain. The Greek sense of a small round seed or berry is the image behind the microbiology term: spherical bacteria look like tiny grains under the microscope. The "-ic" ending is the familiar Greek-derived suffix meaning "relating to," so "coccic" and "coccal" both mean "of or relating to cocci." The two words are synonyms, and both are formed in the same way from the same base.