papillomavirus

noun

pap·​il·​lo·​ma·​vi·​rus ˌpa-pə-ˈlō-mə-ˌvī-rəs How to pronounce papillomavirus (audio)
: any of a family (Papillomaviridae) of viruses that contain a single molecule of circular double-stranded DNA and cause papillomas in mammals compare human papillomavirus

Examples of papillomavirus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In a paper posted to the preprint site bioRxiv, the researchers detected fragments of adenovirus (which causes cold-like illnesses), herpesvirus (linked to cold sores) and papillomavirus (HPV) in Neanderthal genome data. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 May 2024 Human papillomavirus can cause deadly cervical cancer as well as vaginal, anal and penile cancer. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 4 Feb. 2023 Initially, researchers thought the warts of those involved with the slaughtering or butchering of cows were a result of a bovine papillomavirus (BPV), seemingly infected by the virus in a direct cow-to-human transfer. Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 17 Oct. 2011 Those fun, fleshy skin growths caused by papillomavirus. Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 25 Aug. 2017 See all Example Sentences for papillomavirus 

Word History

Etymology

New Latin

First Known Use

1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of papillomavirus was in 1935

Dictionary Entries Near papillomavirus

Cite this Entry

“Papillomavirus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/papillomavirus. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

papillomavirus

noun
pap·​il·​lo·​ma·​vi·​rus ˌpap-ə-ˈlō-mə-ˌvī-rəs How to pronounce papillomavirus (audio)
1
capitalized : the sole genus in a family (Papillomaviridae) of double-stranded DNA viruses that contain a single molecule of DNA, have a capsid composed of 72 capsomers, and cause papillomas in mammals
2
: any of the genus Papillomavirus of double-stranded DNA viruses

More from Merriam-Webster on papillomavirus

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!