coronavirus

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

Definition of coronavirus

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

Recent Examples of coronavirus from the Web

Scientists who went looking for those viruses in bats in China’s Guangdong and Yunnan provinces had found dozens that are closely related to the SARS coronavirus.

— helen branswell, STAT, "SARS-like outbreak among pigs rekindles concerns virus could again strike humans," 4 Apr. 2018
One gram of dog poop can contain up to 23 million fecal coliform bacteria, and dog poop is also a common carrier of whipworms, hookworms, roundworms, parvo, coronavirus, giardia, salmonella, cryptosporidium, and campylobacter.

— wes siler, Outside Online, "It’s Time to Talk About Dog Poop," 27 Mar. 2018
Last year, a few students showed up with flu but more had other viruses that cause similar symptoms, such as coronaviruses and respiratory syncytial virus or RSV.

— NBC News, "Sneeze machine study takes a deep dive into how flu spreads," 13 Feb. 2018
The viruses in the coronaviruses family, like MERS, cause a variety of illnesses.

— noelia trujillo, Woman's Day, "Alarming New SARS-Like Virus Takes More Lives," 29 May 2013
Katusabe has been studying a coronavirus found in all of the Kibale bats.

— mark johnson, jsonline.com, "The hunt for a future killer," 15 Dec. 2017
That virus is a coronavirus carried by camels that has infected about 2,100 people since it was discovered in 2012, and has killed about a third of them, according to the World Health Organization.

— donald g. mcneil jr., New York Times, "A Federal Ban on Making Lethal Viruses Is Lifted," 19 Dec. 2017
In 2012, MERS coronavirus emerged from Saudi Arabia, stirring our concerns.

— National Geographic, "Why Zika Is This Year’s Scary Virus," 28 Jan. 2016
With luck, this novel coronavirus will remain a blip, and not an outbreak, and public health will be granted some time to think these issues through.

— maryn mckenna, WIRED, "The New Coronavirus: Uncertainty, and How to Talk About It," 17 Oct. 2012

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'coronavirus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of coronavirus

New Latin, from corona + virus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1968

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

coronavirus

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

medical Definition of coronavirus

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, 25 Mar. 2003

—abbreviation CoV