Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The protein coat that constitutes the shell of a virus particle.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One of the Capsidæ.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun The outer protein shell of a virus.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun the outer covering of protein surrounding the nucleic acid of a virus
  • noun a variety of leaf bug

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From Latin capsa, box.]

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word capsid.

Examples

  • The viral capsid is an icosahedron with 12 antenna-like fiber projections that function to attach the virus to the cell surface during infection.

    Genes in pieces 1993

  • These two have discovered that by using a ultrashort-pulse laser (USP) they can destroy the protein shell (called a capsid) of viruses in a way that will not destroy human cells.

    Vibrational Medicine 2007

  • Most viruses in the ocean consist of nucleic acids surrounded by a protein coat (called a capsid).

    Marine viruses 2007

  • Similarly, the different elements composing the virions, namely the capsid proteins and the ssDNA are also produced from the dsDNA and therefore virions production is expected to be proportional to the production of

    PLoS ONE Alerts: New Articles Marianne De Paepe et al. 2010

  • The large faceted structure at the top, known as the capsid or head, contains the virus's genetic material.

    PhysOrg.com - latest science and technology news stories 2010

  • Microscope scans revealed that the pathogen had the same generic constitution as an average viral agent, as in it had an outer layer made of proteins - which is known as the capsid - and an inner core, which contained the DNA information.

    Softpedia News - Global 2009

  • Microscope scans revealed that the pathogen had the same generic constitution as an average viral agent, as in it had an outer layer made of proteins - which is known as the capsid - and an inner core, which contained the DNA information.

    Softpedia News - Global 2009

  • HIV uses this protein package, a cone-shaped container called a "capsid," to transport its genetic material into the host cell, after binding with receptors on the cell's surface.

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2011

  • HIV uses this protein package, a cone-shaped container called a "capsid," to transport its genetic material into the host cell, after binding with receptors on the cell's surface.

    Yahoo! News: Business - Opinion 2011

  • a series of irreversible transformations, such as capsid disassembly or reverse transcription, take place from state is reached.

    PLoS ONE Alerts: New Articles Maria R. D'Orsogna et al. 2009

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • "But the odds of finding a pathogen would rise if it were one of the viruses wrapped in a protective sheath called a capsid."

    —Richard Stone, Mammoth: The Resurrection of an Ice Age Giant (Cambridge, Mass.: Perseus Publishing, 2001), 202

    September 22, 2008