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retrovirus

Pronunciation: /ˈrɛtrəʊˌvʌɪrəs/
Translate retrovirus | into German | into Italian
Definition of retrovirus

noun

Biology
  • any of a group of RNA viruses which insert a DNA copy of their genome into the host cell in order to replicate, e.g. HIV.

Derivatives

retroviral

adjective

Origin:

1970s: modern Latin, from the initial letters of reverse transcriptase + virus

retrovirus in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of retrovirus in the US English dictionary

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