Standard Lemma guide

rotavirus

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˈɹəʊtəˌvaɪɹəs/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses, of the genus Rotavirus, that causes gastroenteritis and diarrhea in children and animals.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

the reovirus causing infant enteritis

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: reovirus

History

Etymology

From Latin rota (“wheel”) + virus. The name was first proposed in July 1974 in an article in The Lancet.

Across languages

Translations

14 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 輪狀病毒 /轮状病毒 (lúnzhuàng bìngdú) — any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses
  • Dutch: rotavirus — any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses
  • Finnish: rotavirus — any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses
  • French: rotavirus — any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses
  • German: Rotavirus — any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses
  • Hungarian: rotavírus — any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses
  • Japanese: ロタウイルス (rota-uirusu) — any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses
  • Korean: 로타바이러스 (rotabaireoseu) — any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses
  • Latin: rotavīrus — any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses
  • Māori: huaketo puku — any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses
  • Polish: rotawirus — any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses
  • Portuguese: rotavírus — any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses
  • Russian: ротави́рус (rotavírus) — any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses
  • Spanish: rotavirus — any of a group of wheel-shaped viruses