n.
Pronunciation: ' v ī -r ē - ˌ än, ' vir- ē -
Function: noun
Etymology: French, from viri en viral (fr. virus virus) + -on 2 -on
Date: 1959
: a complete virus particle that consists of an RNA or DNA core with a protein coat sometimes with external envelopes and that is the extracellular infective form of a virus