n.
Pronunciation: ' v ī - ˌ ro ̇ id
Function: noun
Etymology: New Latin vir us + English -oid
Date: 1971
: any of two families ( Pospiviroidae and Avsunviroidae ) of subviral particles that consist of a small single-stranded RNA arranged in a closed loop without a protein shell and that replicate in their host plants where they may or may not be pathogenic