Orthomyxoviridae

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A family of RNA viruses known to cause influenza in animals and humans
2. This virus family includes genera such as Influenza A, B, and C, responsible for respiratory illnesses
3. Characterized by their segmented genome and ability to mutate, resulting in seasonal epidemics of flu

Etymology: Orthomyxoviridae is a taxonomic family name, not a word from everyday speech. Virologists coined it to group the influenza viruses. The first part comes from Greek "orthos," meaning "straight" or "true," and "myxa," meaning mucus. Influenza viruses were classed as "myxoviruses" because they bind to mucus-associated sugars. The "ortho-" prefix likely marks them as the true myxoviruses, separating them from the paramyxoviruses, a related group of the same period. The ending "-viridae" is the standard suffix for virus family names, built on Latin "virus," which originally meant poison or slimy liquid.

Synonyms: orthomyxoviruses, influenza virus family