capsomere

American

[kap-suh-meer] / ˈkæp səˌmɪər /

noun

any of the protein subunits of a capsid.

capsomere British

/ ˈkæpsəˌmɪə /

noun

any of the protein units that together form the capsid of a virus

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of capsomere

1960–65; < French capsomère; capsid ¹, -o-, -mere

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Virologists are having to coin words such as virion, capsid and capsomere to describe viral particles and their parts.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023