First Known Use: 1979
Dictionary
lentivirus
noun len·ti·vi·rus \ˌlen-tə-ˈvī-rəs\
Definition of LENTIVIRUS
: any of a genus (Lentivirus) of retroviruses (as the HIVs and SIV) that cause slowly progressive often fatal human and animal diseases (as AIDS)
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Origin of LENTIVIRUS
New Latin, from Latin lentus slow + New Latin virus
Rhymes with LENTIVIRUS
Medical Dictionary
lentivirus
noun len·ti·vi·rus \ˈlen-tə-ˌvī-rəs\
Medical Definition of LENTIVIRUS
1
capitalized : a genus of single-stranded RNA viruses of the family Retroviridae that include SIV and the causative agents of AIDS, equine infectious anemia, and ovine progressive pneumonia
2
: any of the genus Lentivirus of the family Retroviridae
—len·ti·vi·ral \-rəl\ adjective
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