Short for 'staphylococcus,' a type of bacteria that can cause infections on skin wounds or elsewhere in the body.
From Greek 'staphyle' (bunch of grapes) plus 'kokkos' (berry), because under a microscope the bacteria form clusters that look like a bunch of grapes; 'staph' is the modern shortened form.
The reason staph bacteria are cluster-shaped is actually brilliant—they stick together to protect themselves from antibiotics and your immune system, which is why MRSA (antibiotic-resistant staph) is so dangerous despite being just one type of bacteria.
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