Where does “retrovirus” come from?
Retrovirus is a blend of the prefix retro- and virus, which derives from Latin virus meaning poison or venom.
retrovirus (English): Any of a group of viruses which insert a copy of...
Definitions
- Any of a group of viruses which insert a copy of...
Ancestry of “retrovirus”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | retro- | Back or backward; Behind; In the opposite... |
| 2 | Latin | retrō | back, backwards, behind |
| 3 | Latin | dūcere | — |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | doukō | lead |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | déwketi | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | dewk- | to pull, to draw; to lead |
Words derived from “retrovirus”