coronavirus

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱorh₂-
2. Ancient Greekκορώνη (korṓnē)
3. Latincorōna
4. Italiancorona
5. Englishcorona
6. Proto-Indo-European*weys-
7. Proto-Indo-European*wisós
8. Proto-Italic*weizos
9. Latinvīrus
10. Middle Englishvirus
11. Englishvirus
12. English todaycoronavirus

From corona (“crown-like circle of light appearing around the sun”) + virus. Corona is derived from Latin corōna (“garland, wreath; crown”), from Ancient Greek κορώνη (korṓnē, “something curved; curved stern of a ship; end, point, tip”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to bend, turn”). The name refers to the characteristic appearance of its virions by electron microscopy, which have a fringe of surface projections creating an image reminiscent of a solar corona. Compare the former genus name Coronavirus.

Words from the same roots

First known use, by meaning

• from 1968 A member of the family Coronaviridae, comprising viruses which infect animals and human beings, and the genome of which consists of a single strand of RNA.
• from 1968 SARS-CoV-2, the specific coronavirus that causes the infectious disease COVID-19.