rotavirus

noun

ro·​ta·​vi·​rus ˈrō-tə-ˌvī-rəs 

plural rotaviruses

: any of a genus (Rotavirus) of reoviruses that have a three-layered protein capsid with no outer lipid envelope when mature and that include one (Rotavirus alphagastroenteritidis) causing epidemics of severe and sometimes fatal diarrhea in infants and young children

Examples of rotavirus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But there is variation in requirements for others, such as varicella (chicken pox), meningococcal, rotavirus, influenza, and hepatitis A and B vaccines. —Sherri Gordon, Parents, 18 Sep. 2025

Among them are the shots that guard against HPV, varicella, and rotavirus. —Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 18 Sep. 2025

Unreliable access to lifesaving treatment and poor rotavirus vaccine coverage create a deadly combination. —Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 8 Sep. 2025

Offit is the co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine and served on the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee in the early 2000s. —Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin rota wheel + New Latin virus

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for rotavirus

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

Medical Definition

rotavirus

noun

ro·​ta·​vi·​rus ˈrōt-ə-ˌvī-rəs 

1

Rotavirus : a genus of reoviruses that are causative agents of gastroenteritis and that include one (Rotavirus alphagastroenteritidis) causing epidemics of severe and sometimes fatal diarrhea in infants and young children

Note: Viruses of the genus Rotavirus have a virion with a three-layered protein capsid lacking an outer lipid envelope when mature and a core of 11 discrete segments of double-stranded RNA.

2

: any virus of the genus Rotavirus

rotaviral

-rəl 

adjective