Main Entry:

rick·ett·sia

Pronunciation:

\ri-ˈket-sē-ə\

Function:

noun

Inflected Form(s):

plural rick·ett·si·as or rick·ett·si·ae \-sē-ˌē, -ˌī\ also rick·ett·sia

Etymology:

New Latin, genus name, from Howard T. Ricketts †1910 American pathologist

Date:

1919

: any of a family (Rickettsiaceae) of rod-shaped, coccoid, or diplococcus-shaped, often pleomorphic gram-negative bacteria that are intracellular parasites of arthropods (as lice or ticks) and when transmitted to humans cause various diseases (as typhus)

— rick·ett·si·al \-sē-əl\ adjective