Main Entry: han·ta·vi·rus

Pronunciation: \ˈhän-tə-ˌvī-rəs, ˈhən-, ˈhan-\

Function: noun

Etymology: New Latin, from hanta- (from Hantaan, river in South Korea near where rodents carrying the virus were collected 1974–78) + virus

Date: 1984

: any of a genus (Hantavirus) of bunyaviruses transmitted especially by rodent feces and urine and including viruses causing serious pulmonary disease or hemorrhagic fevers marked by renal necrosis