# coronavirus

Pronunciation: say "kuh-ROH-nuh-vy-ruhs" US /kəˈɹoʊnəˌvaɪɹəs/, UK /kəˈɹəʊnəˌvaɪɹəs/

## Noun

1. The virus that causes the infectious disease COVID-19, also called SARS-CoV-2.
   - Simple: The specific virus that causes the disease COVID-19.
   - _Researchers sequenced the coronavirus from samples collected in early 2020._
   - _Vaccines to protect against coronavirus were developed within a single year._
2. Any member of the family Coronaviridae, a group of viruses that infect animals and humans and carry their genetic code on a single strand of RNA.
   - Simple: Any of a group of viruses that can infect people and animals, sometimes causing illnesses like the common cold.
   - _Each coronavirus carries its genes as one long strand of RNA._
   - _Several coronaviruses circulate in bats without making the animals sick._
3. COVID-19, the infectious respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
   - Simple: The illness caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2, with symptoms such as fever, cough, and tiredness.
   - _She lost her sense of smell while recovering from coronavirus._
   - _Many hospitals were overwhelmed by coronavirus during the first wave._
4. An illness that results from infection with a coronavirus.
   - Simple: A sickness that comes from being infected with a coronavirus.
   - _Each winter brings a fresh round of coronavirus among young children._
   - _The vet said the kitten had coronavirus and would probably be back to normal within a week._

## Origin

Formed from "corona" (a crown-like circle of light around the sun) plus "virus." "Corona" comes from Latin corōna ("garland, wreath, crown"), from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē, "something curved"), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- ("to bend, turn"). The name reflects how the virus's particles look under an electron microscope, with a fringe of surface projections resembling a solar corona.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/coronavirus (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).