Where does “rotavirus” come from?
Rotavirus is derived from Latin virus, meaning poison or venom, combined with the prefix rota- referring to its wheel-like appearance under electron microscopy.
rotavirus (English): Any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses, of the...
Definitions
- Any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses, of the...
Ancestry of “rotavirus”, step by step
rotavirus traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English virus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | virus | A submicroscopic, non-cellular structure... |
| 2 | Latin | vīrus | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | -λογία | Base for nouns denoting the study of something,... |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | λόγος | That which is said: word, sentence, speech,... |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | λέγω | I put in order, arrange, gather; I choose, count,... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | leǵ- | to gather, collect, with derivatives meaning to... |
via Latin Rota
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | Rota | an ecclesiastical appellate court in the Catholic... |
| 2 | Proto-Italic | rotā | — |
| 3 | Proto-Indo-European | Hróth₂-eh₂ | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | Hreth₂- | to run |