virion

noun

vi·​ri·​on ˈvī-rē-ˌän How to pronounce virion (audio) ˈvir-ē- How to pronounce virion (audio)
: a complete virus particle that consists of an RNA or DNA core with a protein coat sometimes with external envelopes and that is the extracellular infectious form of a virus

Examples of virion in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This 1980 transmission electron microscopic (TEM) image revealed some of the ultrastructural morphology exhibited by three poxvirus, molluscum contagiosum virions. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 24 Aug. 2023 Enlarge / An electron micrograph of a number of Marburg virions responsible for causing Marburg virus disease. Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 30 Mar. 2023 The virus is not the virion. The Economist, 20 Aug. 2020 That helps distinguish it from 'coronavirus' (lowercase 'c'), which could mean an individual virus particle (what we biologists call a 'virion'). Jv Chamary, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2021 There are three segments, Small (S), Medium (M), and Large (L), each of which encodes different aspects of the virion. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 3 June 2022 This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a monkeypox virion, obtained from a sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak. Maria Cheng, BostonGlobe.com, 23 May 2022 Nonstructural proteins, on the other hand, are not a component of the virion particle itself. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 2 May 2022 Just last week, Anthony Fauci, director of the Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disases at the National Institutes of Health, donated his personal 3-D model of the SARS-CoV-2 virion to the museum. Roger Catlin, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Mar. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'virion.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from virien viral (from virus virus) + -on -on entry 2

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of virion was in 1959

Dictionary Entries Near virion

Cite this Entry

“Virion.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/virion. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

virion

noun
vi·​ri·​on ˈvī-rē-ˌän How to pronounce virion (audio) ˈvir-ē- How to pronounce virion (audio)
: a complete virus particle that consists of an RNA or DNA core with a protein coat sometimes with external envelopes and that is the extracellular infectious form of a virus

More from Merriam-Webster on virion

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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