Rotavirus
/ˈɹəʊtəˌvaɪɹəs/ noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses, of the genus Rotavirus, that causes gastroenteritis and diarrhea in children and animals.
"We propose therefore that these reovirus-like or orbivirus-like enteritis viruses of calves and children are in a group separate from both orbiviruses and reoviruses, and we suggest that the term “rotavirus” (from the Latin rota, a wheel) should be used for them."
- 2 the reovirus causing infant enteritis wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"Several years ago, a rotavirus vaccine was taken off the market because it increased a baby's risk of developing a rare, but potentially deadly, intestinal blockage."
Etymology
From Latin rota (“wheel”) + virus. The name was first proposed in July 1974 in an article in The Lancet.