Meaning
A synthetic analog of guanosine with chemical formula C₈H₁₂N₄O₅ that inhibits viral nucleic acid synthesis and is used as a broad-spectrum antiviral drug especially in the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus infection and chronic hepatitis C.
Etymology
Origin: Middle English
Etymology tree English rib(oside) English -a- English -vir- Proto-Indo-European *-nós Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos Proto-Italic *-īnos Latin -īnusder. Old French -inbor. Middle English -in English -ineclip. English -in English ribavirin From rib(oside) + -a- + -vir- (“antiviral”) + -in.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
virazole
NYT Puzzle Appearances
No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2023, 2025.