subvariant

noun

sub·​var·​i·​ant ˌsəb-ˈver-ē-ənt How to pronounce subvariant (audio)
plural subvariants
: one of two or more distinctive forms or types of the same variant
New York state health officials said mid-April that the Omicron subvariants known as BA.2.12 and BA.2.12.1 accounted for more than 90 percent of new cases in central New York state.The Boston Globe
… the subvariant differs in some of the mutations, including in the spike protein …Shepard Price
Dodge now has the 797-horsepower Hellcat Redeye, a more street-friendly, less drag-strip-intended subvariant of the 840-horsepower Dodge Challenger SRT Demon.Robert Duffer
He described it as a subvariant of the New England IPA, which is indeed one of the hottest beer styles going right now.Chris Drosner
He's superb, as is the wincing, cringing Shandling, who plays a subvariant of the same sort of scoundrel.Jonathan Lethem

Examples of subvariant 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.
Some 389,648 people in Israel have so far taken the shot, which targets the original strain and its BA.4/BA.5 Omicron subvariant. Fox News, 19 Jan. 2023 The majority of positive cases are attributed to the BA.5 omicron subvariant, which is now the dominant variant. Kimi Robinson, The Arizona Republic, 6 Aug. 2022 Take the recent news about the latest Omicron subvariant, labeled BA.5. Kent Sepkowitz, CNN, 20 July 2022 But so far this variant has made little headway outside of India, casting doubt on its ability to supplant the dominant Omicron subvariant. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Oct. 2022 See all Example Sentences for subvariant 

Word History

Etymology

sub- + variant entry 2

First Known Use

1901, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of subvariant was in 1901

Dictionary Entries Near subvariant

Cite this Entry

“Subvariant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subvariant. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

Medical Definition

subvariant

noun
sub·​var·​i·​ant ˌsəb-ˈver-ē-ənt How to pronounce subvariant (audio)
: one of two or more distinctive forms or types of the same variant
a highly contagious subvariant of the virus
Of the identified Omicron subvariants, the subvariant BA.1 was dominantly prevalent in the early days after Omicron emerged from November 2021.Hirofumi Ohashi et al., Antiviral Research
UP [=urticaria pigmentosa] is the most frequent form of cutaneous mastocytosis. A subvariant consists of non-pigmented, plaque forming lesions that occur most often in infants.M. C. Carter and D. D. Metcalfe, Archives of Disease in Childhood
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