from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Echinococcus \E*chi`no*coc"cus\ ([e^]*k[imac]"n[-o]*k[o^]k*k),
n. [NL., fr. Gr. 'echi^nos hedgehog, sea urchin + ko`kkos
grain, seed, berry. So called because forming little granular
bodies, each armed with hooklets and disposed upon the inner
wall of the hydatid cysts.] (Zo["o]l.)
A parasite of man and of many domestic and wild animals,
forming compound cysts or tumors (called hydatid cysts) in
various organs, but especially in the liver and lungs, which
often cause death. It is the larval stage of the {T[ae]nia
echinococcus}, a small tapeworm peculiar to the dog. The
adult form is not found in man.
[1913 Webster]