Meningococcus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of bacteria known for causing meningitis and other serious infections in humans, often spreading through respiratory droplets and leading to inflammation of membranes around the brain and spinal cord
2. A pathogenic microorganism responsible for bacterial meningitis and septicemia, transmitted from person to person by close contact, affecting the protective layers of the central nervous system
3. A disease-causing bacterial species that can lead to severe brain and spinal cord infections, commonly transmitted via airborne secretions, and poses risks of rapid health deterioration in affected individuals

Etymology: Meningococcus is a plain technical coinage built from two Greek-derived pieces. The first, "meningo-", comes from the Greek "mēninx," meaning membrane, and points to the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord that the bacterium inflames. The second, "-coccus," comes from the Greek "kokkos," meaning berry or grain, and is the standard suffix for spherical bacteria, since under the microscope these organisms appear as round cells. The word therefore describes the bacterium by what it attacks and by its shape, rather than by its discoverer or a place. It belongs to a family of similar scientific names such as staphylococcus and streptococcus, which share the same "-coccus" ending for round bacteria arranged in clusters or chains.

Synonyms: Neisseria meningitidis, meningococcal bacteria, meningitis bacterium, meningococcal meningitis agent