paramyxovirus

[par-uh-mik-suh-vahy-ruh s, -mik-suh-vahy-]

noun, plural par·a·myx·o·vi·rus·es.

any of various RNA-containing viruses that are similar to but larger than the myxoviruses, including the viruses that cause mumps, measles, parainfluenza, and Newcastle disease.

Origin of paramyxovirus

First recorded in 1960–65; para-¹ + myxovirus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

paramyxovirus in Medicine

(păr′ə-mĭk′sə-vī′rəs)

A genus of viruses that contain RNA and are similar to but larger and more variable in size than the related myxovirus; it includes the Sendai virus, the parainfluenza viruses, and the viruses that cause measles and mumps.