History of the taxon:

Etymology of the name:

Taxon: Orthomyxoviridae Proposal: Ratification_1975.pdf  ICTV Report:  Reference: PMID: 13267985 

from the Ancient Greek ὀρθός (orthos), meaning “correct” or “straight” and the Ancient Greek μύξα, (mýxa), meaning "mucus", referring to infection of the respiratory mucosa by viruses of the family; the suffix -viridae for family taxa