History of the taxon:

Etymology of the name:

Taxon: Coronaviridae Proposal: Ratification_1975.pdf  ICTV Report: Coronaviridae Reference: PMID: 1184350 

from the Latin corona, meaning “halo”, referring to the appearance of virion surface projections on viruses of the family, which create an image reminiscent of the solar corona; the suffix -viridae for family taxa