prion
/ˈpɹiːɒn/
prion noun: a self-propagating misfolded conformer of a protein that is responsible for a number of diseases that affect the brain and other neural tissue.
Noun (1)
prion (plural prions)
- A self-propagating misfolded conformer of a protein that is responsible for a number of diseases that affect the brain and other neural tissue.
- Prion disease shares many features.1987, Molecular Biology of the Human Brain: Proceedings of an Upjohn-UCLA Symposium, Held in Keystone, Colorado, April 19–26, 1987, volume 72, page 168
- Prions retain deep mysteries, the foremost of which is what on earth they exist for.1999, Matt Ridley, Genome, Harper Perennial, published 2004, page 277
Noun (2)
UK/ˈpɹaɪən/
prion (plural prions)
- A petrel of the genera Pachyptila and Halobaena.
- Synonyms:
- pachyptile
prion meaning in Tamil, Bengali, Malayalam and Odia
prion in Tamil
- misfolded protein
- புரதப்பீழை puratappīḻai
prion in Bengali
- misfolded protein
- প্রিয়ন priẏon
prion in Malayalam
- misfolded protein
- പ്രിയോൺ priyōṇ
prion in Odia
- misfolded protein
- ପ୍ରିଅନ୍ prian
More languagesFewer languages
- prion in Malay
- prion
- prion in Indonesian
- prion
- prion in Persian
- پریون
Synonyms of prion
Forms of prion
| plural | prions |
|---|
Origin of prion
From (a reordering of) the initial letters of proteinaceous infectious particle. Coined by American neurologist and biochemist Stanley B. Prusiner in 1982.
From Prion (former genus name), from Ancient Greek πρίων (príōn, “saw”).
Words formed from prion
- antiprion
- miniprion
- prionaemia
- prion disease
- prionemia
- prionic
- prionlike
- prionochezia
- prionogenesis
- prionogenic
- prionopathy
- prionose
- prionosis
- prion protein
- prionsialia
- Antarctic prion
- broad-biled prion
- fairy prion
- fulmar prion
- Salvin's prion
- slender-billed prion
Phrases with prion
Words that rhyme with prion
Questions about prion
- What does prion mean?
- Prion means a self-propagating misfolded conformer of a protein that is responsible for a number of diseases that affect the brain and other neural tissue.
- What is prion in Tamil?
- Prion in Tamil is புரதப்பீழை (puratappīḻai). See Prion meaning in Tamil.
- What part of speech is prion?
- Prion is a noun.
- How do you pronounce prion?
- Prion is pronounced /ˈpɹiːɒn/ (UK).
- What is the plural of prion?
- The plural of prion is prions.
Words near prion in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: prion (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-prion.wav, En-us-prion.oga.
Cite this entry: “prion.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/prion. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.