rotavirus

noun

ro·​ta·​vi·​rus ˈrō-tə-ˌvī-rəs 

plural rotaviruses

: any of a genus (Rotavirus) of reoviruses that have a three-layered protein capsid with no outer lipid envelope when mature and that include one (Rotavirus alphagastroenteritidis) causing epidemics of severe and sometimes fatal diarrhea in infants and young children

Examples of rotavirus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Several vaccines — including flu, rotavirus, hepatitis A and B, some meningococcal vaccines and RSV — are no longer broadly recommended and now fall under shared decision-making or are advised only for high-risk groups. —FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026

Now, under a dramatic overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule, the CDC will no longer recommend universal vaccination against meningitis — nor against rotavirus, hepatitis A or influenza. —Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 9 Jan. 2026

Before routine administration of the current rotavirus vaccines began in 2006, about 70,000 young children were hospitalized and 50 died every year from the virus. —Arthur Allen, NPR, 9 Jan. 2026

But according to the report, the rotavirus vaccine is universally recommended by 17 of the 20 peer countries. —Grayson Logue, Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin rota wheel + New Latin virus

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rotavirus

• antivirus
• herpesvirus
• parvovirus
• reovirus
• retrovirus
• rhinovirus
• adenovirus
• baculovirus
• coronavirus
• enterovirus
• poliovirus
• cytomegalovirus

Medical Definition

rotavirus

noun

ro·​ta·​vi·​rus ˈrōt-ə-ˌvī-rəs 

1

Rotavirus : a genus of reoviruses that are causative agents of gastroenteritis and that include one (Rotavirus alphagastroenteritidis) causing epidemics of severe and sometimes fatal diarrhea in infants and young children

Note: Viruses of the genus Rotavirus have a virion with a three-layered protein capsid lacking an outer lipid envelope when mature and a core of 11 discrete segments of double-stranded RNA.

2

: any virus of the genus Rotavirus

rotaviral

-rəl 

adjective