Definition of "capsid" [capsid]

• The protein shell that surrounds a virus particle. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The viral capsid is an icosahedron with 12 antenna-like fiber projections that function to attach the virus to the cell surface during infection."
• "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."
• "Most viruses in the ocean consist of nucleic acids surrounded by a protein coat (called a capsid)."