oncovirus

O1N1C3O1V4I1R1U1S1
UK/ˈɒŋkəʊvʌɪɹəs/

noun

A virus that can cause cancer.

Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounoncovirus (plural oncoviruses)

plural oncoviruses

  1. A virus that can cause cancer.

    Human oncoviruses soon followed and it became apparent that whole classes of cancer, such as cervical cancer, were indeed caused partly by viral infection.

    1999, Matt Ridley, Genome, Harper Perennial, published 2004, page 234

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
tumorvirus

Origin

From onco- + virus.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

oncovirus. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oncovirus

MLA

“oncovirus.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oncovirus. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “oncovirus,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/oncovirus.

Source: oncovirus on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.