Relating to or caused by diplococci, which are pairs of spherical bacteria joined together.
From 'diplococcus' (Greek 'diplos' + 'kokkos', berry/sphere) + '-al' (adjective suffix). This medical term emerged in microbiology as scientists observed bacteria forming distinctive paired spherical shapes under microscopes.
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a famous diplococcal bacterium — it appears as paired spheres under the microscope and causes pneumonia, making it medically important and visually distinctive.
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