tobacco mosaic virus

noun

: a single-stranded RNA virus (species Tobacco mosaic virus of the genus Tobamovirus) that occurs worldwide and causes mosaic disease in plants (such as tobacco and tomato) especially of the nightshade family

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web That something, now called the tobacco mosaic virus, appears on this page (magnified and colorized). —

Jocelyn Rice, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2010 But their pioneering work on tobacco mosaic virus opened the door to a century of research that has revealed a diverse range of viral structures and strategies for survival. —

Theresa Machemer, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2020 Scientists were only first able to visualize a virus, the tobacco mosaic virus, after the 1931 invention of the electron microscope. —

Jonathan Runstadler, Scientific American, 11 Mar. 2018

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

Word History

First Known Use

1914, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of tobacco mosaic virus was in 1914

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near tobacco mosaic virus

tobacco mosaic

tobacco mosaic virus

tobacco moth

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“Tobacco mosaic virus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tobacco%20mosaic%20virus. Accessed 23 Mar. 2023.

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