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

Realm: Riboviria

Taxon: Tobaniviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2017.015S.A.v1.Nidovirales    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from Torovirus, Bafinivirus and Nidovirales, taxa in this family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Picornavirales  Rank: order  Proposal: 2005.200-2G.04.Picornavirales    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from Picornaviridae (itself from the Spanish pico, meaning "small"or "sharp") and RNA for ribonucleic acid, referring to the size of the  RNA genome of viruses in the taxon; the suffix -virales for order taxa

Taxon: Caliciviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: Ratification 1981    ICTV Report: Caliciviridae  Reference: PMID: 10804145  

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

Taxon: Dicistroviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: Ratification 2002a    ICTV Report: Dicistroviridae  Reference: PMID: 6659369  

from the Greek di-, meaning "two" and cistron, a genetic unit, referring to the characteristic dicistronic arrangement of the genome of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Iflaviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2006.029-31I.04.Iflaviridae    ICTV Report: Iflaviridae  Reference:   

from the former species name, Infectious flacherie virus (now Iflavirus flacherie), a taxon in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Marnaviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2003.F094-098.Marnaviridae    ICTV Report: Marnaviridae  Reference:   

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

Taxon: Noraviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2022.001S.Picornavirales_1nf    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from the Armenian nora, meaning "new", referring to  Nora virus, a member of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Picornaviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: ICTV 1st Report    ICTV Report: Picornaviridae  Reference: PMID: 21413259  

from poliovirus, insensitivity to ether, coxsackievirus, orphan virus, rhinovirus, and ribonucleic acid; or from the Spanish pico, meaning "a small balance" i.e. unit of measurement and RNA, for ribonucleic acid, referring to the small RNA genome of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Polycipiviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2017.011S.A.v2.Polycipiviridae    ICTV Report: Polycipiviridae  Reference:   

from polycistronic picorna-like, referring to the genome organisation of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Secoviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2007.057-9P.Secoviridae    ICTV Report: Secoviridae  Reference:   

from 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

Taxon: Solinviviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2016.017a-kS.A.v2.Solinviviridae    ICTV Report: Solinviviridae  Reference:   

from Solenopsis invicta virus 3, a member of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa 

Taxon: Sobelivirales  Rank: order  Proposal: 2019.006G.A.v1.Riboviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from sobemovirus-like; the suffix -virales for order taxa

Taxon: Alvernaviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2009.016a-iP.A.v7.Alvernaviridae    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

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

Taxon: Barnaviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: Ratification 1993    ICTV Report:   Reference: PMID: 8030251  

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

Taxon: Solemoviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2017.003P.A.v2.Solemoviridae    ICTV Report: Solemoviridae  Reference:   

from Sobemovirus (from Southern bean mosaic virus) and Polemovirus (from potato leafroll virus), two genera in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Stelpaviricetes  Rank: class  Proposal: 2019.006G.A.v1.Riboviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from the names of the founding orders (Stellavirales, Patatavirales); the suffix -viricetes for class taxa

Taxon: Patatavirales  Rank: order  Proposal: 2019.006G.A.v1.Riboviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from the Italian patata meaning "potato", referencing potato virus Y, a member of the taxon; the suffix -virales for order taxa

Taxon: Potyviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: Ratification 1993    ICTV Report: Potyviridae  Reference: PMID: 2472047  

from potato virus Y, a member of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Stellavirales  Rank: order  Proposal: 2019.006G.A.v1.Riboviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from the Latin stella, meaning "star", referrring to astroviruses, which are included in the taxon; the suffix -virales for order taxa

Taxon: Astroviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: ICTV 6th Report    ICTV Report:   Reference: PMID: 15802951  

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

Taxon: Yadokarivirales  Rank: order  Proposal: 2021.005F.R.Yadokarivirales_neworder    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from the Japanese yadokari (やどかり, 宿借), meaning “room borrower", referring to the the lifestyle (hetero-encapsidation) of yadokariviruses; the suffix -virales for order taxa

Taxon: Yadokariviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2021.005F.R.Yadokarivirales_neworder    ICTV Report: Yadokariviridae  Reference:   

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

Taxon: Hadakaviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2021.004F.R.Hadakaviridae_newfam    ICTV Report: Hadakaviridae  Reference:   

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

Taxon: Birnaviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: Ratification 1984    ICTV Report: Birnaviridae  Reference: PMID: 6743022  

from the Latin  bi meaning “two”,  and RNA for ribonucleic acid, referring to the bisegmented nature of the genome, and the presence of dsRNA, in viruses of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Permutotetraviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2010.001a-qI.A.v4.Tetraviridae    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from the Latin permutare, meaninmg "to change thoroughly" and  the Ancient Greek τετρα (tetra), the Greek cardinal 4, referring to the type of RdRP (replicase) whose active site is permuted and the T=4 capsid architecture of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Pararnavirae  Rank: kingdom  Proposal: 2019.006G.A.v1.Riboviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from the Greek παρά (pará), meaning "besides" or "next to", and RNA for ribonucleic acid, referring to the second kingdom in the realm Riboviria  ; the suffix -virae for kingdom taxa

Taxon: Artverviricota  Rank: phylum  Proposal: 2019.006G.A.v1.Riboviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from reverse transcriptase when read backwards, referring to the mode of genome replication of viruses in the taxon; the suffix -viricota for phylum taxa

Taxon: Revtraviricetes  Rank: class  Proposal: 2019.006G.A.v1.Riboviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from reverse transcriptase, referring to the mode of genome replication of viruses in the taxon; the suffix -viricetes for class taxa

Taxon: Blubervirales  Rank: order  Proposal: 2019.006G.A.v1.Riboviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

to honour Barry Blumberg for his role in hepatitis B research; the suffix -virales for order taxa

Taxon: Hepadnaviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: Ratification 1990    ICTV Report: Hepadnaviridae  Reference: PMID: 4113490  

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

Taxon: Ortervirales  Rank: order  Proposal: 2017.013D.A.v1.Ortervirales    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

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

Taxon: Belpaoviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2017.001D.A.v1.Belpaoviridae    ICTV Report: Belpaoviridae  Reference:   

from Drosophila melanogaster Bel virus and the Bombyx mori Pao virus, two members of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Caulimoviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: Ratification 1997    ICTV Report: Caulimoviridae  Reference: PMID: 14433226  

from cauliflower mosaic virus, a member of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Metaviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: Ratification 1998    ICTV Report: Metaviridae  Reference: PMID: 7760826  

from the late Latin metathesis, meaning “transposition”, referring to the family of retrotransposons; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Pseudoviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: Ratification 1998    ICTV Report: Pseudoviridae  Reference: PMID: 12411593  

from the Ancient 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

Taxon: Retroviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: Ratification 1975    ICTV Report: Retroviridae  Reference: PMID: 21433350  

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

Taxon: Polymycoviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2019.002F.A.v1.Polymycoviridae_1newfam    ICTV Report: Polymycoviridae  Reference:   

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

Taxon: Sarthroviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2015.002a-gS.A.v3.Sarthroviridae    ICTV Report: Sarthroviridae  Reference:   

from small virus of arthropods, referring to the host (giant freshwater prawns) of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Realm: Ribozyviria

Taxon: Ribozyviria  Rank: realm  Proposal: 2020.012D.R.Ribozyviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from ribozyme, a unique and defining component of viruses of the realm; the suffix -viria for realm taxa

Taxon: Kolmioviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2020.012D.R.Ribozyviria    ICTV Report: Kolmioviridae  Reference:   

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

Taxon: Varidnaviria  Rank: realm  Proposal: 2019.003G.A.v1.Varidnaviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from various DNA viruses; the suffix -viria for realm taxa

Taxon: Bamfordvirae  Rank: kingdom  Proposal: 2019.003G.A.v1.Varidnaviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

to honour Dennis Bamford who first promoted the evolutionary unity of all DJR-MCP (double jelly-roll major capsid protein) viruses; the suffix -virae for kingdom taxa

Taxon: Nucleocytoviricota  Rank: phylum  Proposal: 2019.003G.A.v1.Varidnaviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses (NCLDVs), an unofficial name for this group of viruses; the suffix -viricota for phylum taxa

Taxon: Megaviricetes  Rank: class  Proposal: 2019.003G.A.v1.Varidnaviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from the Greek μέγας (mégas), meaning "large", referring to the extremely large genome size of viruses in this taxon; the suffix -viricetes for class taxa

Taxon: Algavirales  Rank: order  Proposal: 2019.003G.A.v1.Varidnaviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from alga, referring to the hosts of many viruses in this taxon: the suffix -virales for order taxa

Taxon: Phycodnaviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: Ratification 1990    ICTV Report:   Reference: PMID: 12181671  

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

Taxon: Imitervirales  Rank: order  Proposal: 2019.003G.A.v1.Varidnaviria    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from the French imiter, meaning "to mimic", referring to mimiviruses (microbe-imitating); the suffix -virales for order taxa

Taxon: Allomimiviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2022.004F.Imitervirales_reorg    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

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

Taxon: Mesomimiviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2022.004F.Imitervirales_reorg    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from the Ancient Greek μέσος (mésos), meaning "middle" and Mimiviridae, referring to the evolutionary relationship of viruses in the two families; the suffix -viridae for family taxa

Taxon: Mimiviridae  Rank: family  Proposal: 2005.004F.04.Mimiviridae    ICTV Report:   Reference:   

from microbe mimicking because the large particle size of viruses in the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa