protovirus

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noun

A DNA sequence capable of mutating into an oncogenic virus, proposed as a hypothesis to explain the origin of ribodeoxyviruses as arising from normal cellular components.

Scrabble 15
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Meanings

nounprotovirus (plural protoviruses)

plural protoviruses

  1. biologyA DNA sequence capable of mutating into an oncogenic virus, proposed as a hypothesis to explain the origin of ribodeoxyviruses as arising from normal cellular components.

Origin

From proto- + virus.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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