word-forming element used in science to mean "twisted," from Latinized combining form of Greek streptos "twisted, easy to bend, pliant," verbal adjective of strephein "to turn, twist," from PIE root *streb(h)- "to wind, turn."
Entries linking to strepto-
*streb(h)-
Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to wind, turn."
It forms all or part of: anastrophe; antistrophe; apostrophe (n.1); apostrophe (n.2); boustrophedon; catastrophe; epistrophe; strabismus; strap; strep; strepto-; streptococcus; streptomycin; strobe; strobic; stroboscope; strop; strophe; strophic.
It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Greek strophe "stanza," originally "a turning," strephein "to turn," strophaligs "whirl, whirlwind," streblos "twisted," stremma "that which is twisted."
streptococcus n.
bacteria genus, 1877, Modern Latin, coined by Viennese surgeon Albert Theodor Billroth (1829-1894) from strepto- "twisted" + Modern Latin coccus "spherical bacterium," from Greek kokkos "berry" (see cocco-). So called because the bacteria usually form chains.
streptomycin n.
antibiotic drug, 1944, from Modern Latin Streptomyces, genus name of the bacterium from which the antibiotic was obtained, from strepto- "twisted" + -mycin, element used in forming names of substances obtained from fungi. First isolated by U.S. microbiologist Selman Abraham Waksman (1888-1973) and others.