prion

See also: Prion and príon

English

Etymology 1

From (a reordering of) the initial letters of proteinaceous infectious particle. Coined by Neurologist, biochemist Stanley B. Prusiner in 1982.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈpɹiːɒn/, /ˈpɹaɪən/; for more information, see prion § Etymology and pronunciation (Wikipedia).
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  • Rhymes: -iːɒn, -aɪən

Noun

prion (plural prions)

  1. (molecular biology) A self-propagating misfolded conformer of a protein that is responsible for a number of diseases that affect the brain and other neural tissue.
    • 1999, Matt Ridley, Genome, Harper Perennial, published 2004, page 277:
      Prions retain deep mysteries, the foremost of which is what on earth they exist for.
    • 2021 July 28, Barbara Casassus, “France issues moratorium on prion research after fatal brain disease strikes two lab workers”, in Science:
      Five public research institutions in France have imposed a 3-month moratorium on the study of prions—a class of misfolding, infectious proteins that cause fatal brain diseases—after a retired lab worker who handled prions in the past was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), the most common prion disease in humans.
Derived terms
Translations

See also

Etymology 2

From Prion (former genus name), from Ancient Greek πρίων (príōn, saw).

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈpɹʌɪən/ (Can we verify(+) this pronunciation?)
  • Rhymes: -ʌɪən

Noun

prion (plural prions)

  1. A petrel of the genus Pachyptila.
Synonyms
  • (petrel of the genus Pachyptila): pachyptile (rare)
Translations

Anagrams

French

Noun

prion m (plural prions)

  1. prion

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French prion.

Noun

prion m (plural prioni)

  1. prion

Declension

Spanish

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈpɾjon/ [ˈpɾjõn]
  • Rhymes: -on
  • Syllabification: prion

Noun

prion m (plural priones)

  1. prion

Further reading

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