diphtheroid: Meaning and Definition of

diph•the•roid

Pronunciation: (dif'thu-roid", dip'-), [key]
— adj. Pathol.
  1. resembling diphtheria, esp. in the formation of a false membrane in the throat.
—n.
  1. any bacterium, esp. of the genus Corynebacterium, that resembles the diphtheria bacillus but does not produce diphtheria toxin.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.