Etymology of Taxon Names
The information below provides a list containing descriptions of the origins of ICTV taxon names starting at the rank of realm and going down to the rank of family. This information is derived from the proposals that were submitted when each taxon was created. Links to these proposals, links to ICTV report chapters, and links to publications (through PMIDs) are provided when available.
We thank Stuart Siddell for compiling this list of name origins. Etymological information for taxa below the rank of family, can be found in the relevant ICTV Online (10th) Report chapters. If you have any comments or corrections, please contact us by sending an email to info@ictv.global.
Please select the virus realm containing your taxa of interest:
Realm: Riboviria
from the Latin calix, meaning “cup” or “goblet”, referring to cup-shaped depressions on the virion surface of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
referring to the characteristic dicistronic arrangement of the genome of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the former species name, Infectious flacherie virus (now Iflavirus flacherie), a taxon in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
a portmanteau from the Latin mare, meaning "sea", referring to the environment from which virus was isolated, and RNA, referring to ribonucleic acid, the genetic material of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the Armenian nora, meaning "new", referring to Nora virus, a member of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
an acronym from poliovirus, insensitivity to ether, coxsackievirus, orphan virus, rhinovirus, and ribonucleic acid; also, from the Spanish pico, meaning "a small balance" referring to a very small unit of measurement and RNA, describing the small RNA genome of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from polycistronic picorna-like, referring to the genome organisation of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
to reflect the amalgamation of the now defunct families Sequiviridae and Comoviridae (respectively from the Latin sequi, meaning to "accompany", referring to the dependent aphid transmission of parsnip yellow fleck virus, and from cowpea mosaic virus), both members of the virus family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from Solenopsis invicta virus 3, a member of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
a portmanteau of sobemovirus-like; the suffix -virales for order taxa
from the dinoflagellate host ( Heterocapsa circularisquama, a member of the Alveolata) and RNA for ribonucleic acid, referring to the ssRNA genome of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from bacilliform-shaped virus and RNA for ribonucleic acid, referring to the morphology of virions and the genome of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the combination of Sobemovirus (from Southern bean mosaic virus) and Polemovirus (from potato leafroll virus), two genera in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
a portmanteau of the names of the founding orders (Stellavirales, Patatavirales); the suffix -viricetes for class taxa
from the Italian patata meaning "potato", referencing potato virus Y, a member of the taxon; the suffix -virales for order taxa
from potato virus Y, a member of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the Latin stella, meaning "star" (a reference to astroviruses, included in the taxon); the suffix -virales for order taxa
from the Greek astron, meaning "star", referring to the star-like appearance of spikes projecting from the surface of virions of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the Japanese yadokari, meaning borrowing (Kari) a house to stay (Yado), or biologically, hermit, describing the lifestyle (hetero-encapsidation) of yadokariviruses; the suffix -virales for order taxa
from the Japanese yadokari ( やどかり , 宿借 ), meaning “room borrower", referring to the lifestyle (hetero-encapsidation) of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the Japanese hadaka ( 裸、はだか ), meaning “naked”, referring to the capsidless nature of viruses in this family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the Latin bi meaning “two”, and RNA for ribonucleic acid, referring to the bisegmented nature of the genome, as well as the presence of dsRNA, in viruses of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the Latin permutare, meaninmg "to change thoroughly" and the Ancient Greek τετρα (tetra), meaning 4 "four", referring to the type of RdRPp (replicase) whose active site is permuted and the T=4 capsid architecture of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the Greek παρά (pará), meaning "besides/next to", and RNA for ribonucleic acid, referring to the second kingdom in the realm Riboviria ; the suffix -virae for kingdom taxa
a portmanteau of reverse transcriptase when read backwards, referring to the mode of genome replication of viruses in the taxon; the suffix -viricota for phylum taxa
a portmanteau of reverse transcriptase, referring to the mode of genome replication of viruses in the taxon; the suffix -viricetes for class taxa
to honour Barry Blumberg for his role in hepatitis B research; the suffix -virales for order taxa
from the Greek hepar, meaning “liver” and DNA for deoxyribonucleic acid, referring to the infection of liver tissues and the deoxyribonucleic acid genome of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from orter, an inversion of retro, which stands for reverse transcription, referring to the mode of genome replication of viruses in the taxon; the suffix -virales for order taxa
from Drosophila melanogaster Bel virus and the Bombyx mori Pao virus, two members of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from cauliflower mosaic virus, a member of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the late Latin metathesis, meaning “transposition”, referring to the family of retrotransposons; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the Greek ψευδής (pseudes), meaning "false", referring to an evolutionary relationship of family members to viruses with extracellular virions, although they themselves have no extracellular phase; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the Latin retro, meaning “backwards”, referring to the activity of reverse transcriptase which transfers genetic information from RNA “back” to DNA during replication of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the Ancient Greek πολύς (polús), meaning “many" and mukēs (myco), meaning fungus, referring to the hosts of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from small arthropod, referring to the host (giant freshwater prawns) of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
Realm: Ribozyviria
from ribozyme, a unique and defining component of viruses of the realm; the suffix -viria for realm taxa
from the Finnish kolmio, meaning triangle, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Greek letter Δ δέλτα (délta), referring to the genus Deltavirus, a taxon in the family that was named after delta-antigen; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
Realm: Varidnaviria
a portmanteau of various DNA viruses; the suffix -viria for realm taxa
to honour Dennis Bamford who first promoted the evolutionary unity of all DJR-MCP viruses; the suffix -virae for kingdom taxa
from nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs), an unofficial name for this group of viruses; the suffix -viricota for phylum taxa
from the Greek μέγας (mégas), meaning "large", referring to the extremely long genomes of viruses in this taxon; the suffix -viricetes for class taxa
from alga, referring to the hosts of many viruses in this taxon: the suffix -virales for order taxa
from the Ancient Greek φῦκος (phûkos), meaning “seaweed” and DNA for deoxyribonucleic acid, referring to the host (marine or freshwater eukaryotic algae) and the dsDNA genome of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the French imiter, meaning "to mimic", referring to to mimiviruses (microbe-imitating); the suffix -virales for order taxa
from the Ancient Greek ἄλλος (állos), meaning "other" or "another", and Mimiviridae, referring to the evolutionary relationship between the two families; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos), meaning "middle", and Mimiviridae, reflecting the evolutionary relationship of viruses in the two families; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from microbe mimicking because the particle size of viruses in the family makes them visible under the light microscope; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
from the Ancient Greek σχίζω (skhízō) meaning "split", and Mimiviridae reflecting the evolutionary relationship of viruses in the two families; the suffix -viridae for family taxa
a portmanteau of pithoviruses, iridoviruses, marseilleviruses and ascoviruses, members of the taxon; the suffix -virales for order taxa