Definition of viroid
: any of two families (Pospiviroidae and Avsunviroidae) of subviral particles that consist of a small single-stranded RNA arranged in a closed loop without a protein shell and that replicate in their host plants where they may or may not be pathogenic
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Origin and Etymology of viroid
New Latin virus + English -oid
First Known Use: 1971
Medical Dictionary
Medical Definition of viroid
1: a hypothetical symbiont resembling a virus that was formerly held to be present in cells, to be favorable to the host, and to tend to mutate to a virus
2: any of two families (Pospiviroidae and Avsunviroidae) of subviral particles that consist of a small single-stranded RNA arranged in a closed loop without a protein shell and that replicate in their host plants where they may or may not be pathogenic
viroid
Medical Definition of viroid
1: caused by a virus viroid pneumonia
2: of or relating to viroids
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See words that rhyme with viroid Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about viroid
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