hantavirus

noun

han·​ta·​vi·​rus ˈhän-tə-ˌvī-rəs  ˈhən-  ˈhan- 

: any of a family (Hantaviridae and especially genus Orthohantavirus) of bunyaviruses transmitted especially by rodent feces and urine and including viruses causing serious pulmonary disease or hemorrhagic fevers marked by renal necrosis

Examples of hantavirus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

It is also believed that Betsy Arakawa, wife of actor Gene Hackman, was experiencing hantavirus symptoms before her death at their New Mexico home. —Bay Area News Group, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2025

Arakawa died from a respiratory illness linked to hantavirus, which is a rare disease transmitted by infected rodents. —Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 July 2025

In March, authorities confirmed that Gene Hackman’s wife Betsy Arakawa died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. —Vanessa Etienne, People.com, 12 June 2025

The married couple was found dead in their home in New Mexico, a state with one of the highest national tallies of hantavirus infections. —Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 28 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from hanta- (from Hantaan, river in South Korea near where rodents carrying the virus were collected 1974–78) + virus

First Known Use

1984, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hantavirus

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

Medical Definition

hantavirus

noun

han·​ta·​vi·​rus ˈhan-tə-ˌvī-rəs  ˈhən-  ˈhän- 

: any of a family (Hantaviridae and especially genus Orthohantavirus) of bunyaviruses that infect specific rodents as their natural hosts and that include some forms causing hantavirus pulmonary syndrome and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in humans following exposure to the virus in airborne particles of rodent urine, feces, or saliva or directly by the bite of a rodent