Main Entry:

vi·roid

Pronunciation:

\ˈvī-ˌrȯid\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

New Latin virus + English -oid

Date:

1971

: any of two families (Pospiviroidae and Avsunviroidae) of subviral particles that consist of a small single-stranded RNA arranged in a closed loop without a protein shell and that replicate in their host plants where they may or may not be pathogenic