The plural of diplococcus; multiple pairs of spherical bacteria joined together in twos.
From Greek 'diplos' (double) + 'kokkos' (berry/sphere), with the Latin plural ending '-i'. The term emerged in microbiology to describe the characteristic paired arrangement of these bacteria.
Under a microscope, diplococci look like tiny kidney beans or grains of rice placed side-by-side, and this distinctive appearance helped early microbiologists identify and classify these dangerous pathogens.
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