protein-coat

pro·tein-coat

P p

Definition of protein-coat word

noun protein-coat the coiled or polyhedral structure, composed of proteins, that encloses the nucleic acid of a virus. 1

before 1960

One of the 3% newest English words

1960-65; < French capside, equivalent to Latin caps(a) case2 + -ide -id1

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 80% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".