Definition of retrovirus
: any of a family (Retroviridae) of single-stranded RNA viruses that produce reverse transcriptase by means of which DNA is produced using their RNA as a template and incorporated into the genome of infected cells, that are often tumorigenic, and that include the lentiviruses (such as the HIVs) and the causative agent of Rous sarcoma
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for retrovirus
The first known use of retrovirus was in 1975
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