coronavirus

noun

co·​ro·​na·​vi·​rus kə-ˈrō-nə-ˌvī-rəs 

plural coronaviruses

1

: any of a family (Coronaviridae) of large single-stranded RNA viruses that have a lipid envelope studded with club-shaped spike proteins, infect birds and many mammals including humans, and include the causative agents of MERS, SARS, and COVID-19

Coronaviruses can cause a variety of illnesses in animals, but in people coronaviruses cause one-third of common colds and sometimes respiratory infections in premature infants.

—Rob Stein

… in 2003 a previously unknown coronavirus caused an outbreak of SARS in humans.

—Ali Moh Zaki et al.

—abbreviation CoV, CV

2

: an illness caused by a coronavirus

especially : covid-19

Italy has seen the most coronavirus cases in Europe, with more than 2,000 people ill and 76 deaths associated with COVID-19.

—Dayton (Ohio) Daily News

—abbreviation CV

Examples of coronavirus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Today, there is a soup of different coronavirus variants causing illness and the most common ones are fairly close relatives. —Lauran Neergaard, al, 9 Sep. 2023

The university’s use of the courts ballooned during the coronavirus pandemic. —Casey Tolan, CNN, 8 Sep. 2023

The humanitarian and economic crisis it’s spurred has compounded the aftershocks of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly in neighboring countries like Poland. —Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023

In recent years, more families have signed up for the program, in part due to expansions that occurred at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. —Grace Segers, The New Republic, 8 Sep. 2023

Higher rates of coronavirus transmission are leading to more COVID-19 outbreaks in L.A. County, with nursing homes, schools and worksites reporting increases in recent weeks. —oregonlive, 7 Sep. 2023

The rate at which reported coronavirus tests are coming back positive is up statewide — to 14%. —Rong-Gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023

America is in the midst of a police officer shortage that many in law enforcement blame on the twofold morale hit of 2020 — the coronavirus pandemic and criticism of police that boiled over with the murder of George Floyd by a police officer. —Trisha Ahmed, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2023

The implementation has been plagued by administrative hurdles, delays due to the coronavirus pandemic and staffing changes. —Miles Moffeit, Dallas News, 6 Sep. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

corona + virus, later taken as New Latin

Note: The word was introduced by a group of virologists as a short article "Coronaviruses" in the "News and Views" section of Nature (vol. 220, no. 5168, November 16, 1968, p. 650): "… avian infectious bronchitis virus has a characteristic electron microscopic appearance resembling, but distinct from, that of myxoviruses. Particles are more or less rounded in profile … there is also a characteristic 'fringe' of projections 200 Å long, which are rounded or petal shaped, rather than sharp or pointed, as in the myxoviruses. This appearance, recalling the solar corona, is shared by mouse hepatitis virus … . In the opinion of the eight virologists these viruses are members of a previously unrecognized group which they suggest should be called the coronaviruses, to recall the characteristic appearance by which these viruses are identified in the electron microscope."

First Known Use

1968, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing coronavirus

• coronavirus disease 2019

• coronavirus disease 2019

Medical Definition

coronavirus

noun

co·​ro·​na·​vi·​rus kə-ˈrō-nə-ˌvī-rəs 

1

: any of a family (Coronaviridae) of large, single-stranded, RNA viruses that have a lipid envelope studded with club-shaped spike proteins , infect birds and many mammals including humans, and include the causative agents of blue comb, feline infectious peritonitis, COVID-19, MERS, and SARS

Coronaviruses can cause a variety of illnesses in animals, but in people coronaviruses cause one-third of common colds and sometimes respiratory infections in premature infants.

—Rob Stein, The Washington Post

—abbreviation CoV, CV

2

: an illness caused by a coronavirus

especially : covid-19

—abbreviation CV