Strepto

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

1. A prefix used in scientific terminology to denote a twisted or chain-like form of bacteria or cells
2. Often associated with a grouping or arrangement in related biological contexts
3. Referring to a genus of bacteria that appear as twisted or spiral shapes in their microscopic form

Etymology: The word is a clipping, a shortened form of "streptococcus," which is itself built from Greek roots. "Strepto-" comes from the Greek "streptos," meaning "twisted" or "easily twisted," from the verb "strephein," to turn or twist. "Coccus" is the Greek for a berry or seed, so the full name of the bacterium describes a round cell that forms chains, twisted into a string of beads. The shortened form lets people refer to the whole group without pronouncing the longer name each time. The same prefix also appears in "streptocarpus," a flowering plant genus whose name joins "strepto-" with the Greek "karpos," fruit, a reference to its twisted seed pods. The clipped form of that plant name is the second source of the word here, and the shared prefix links the two very different organisms through the idea of a twist.

Synonyms: streptococcus, streptococcal