prion
UK[ˈpriːɒn]US[ˈpriːɑːn]
n
A type of infectious protein particle that is believed to be the cause of certain brain diseases in humans and animals, such as BSE and CJD.
Etymology
The term 'prion' is a 20th-century scientific neologism, coined in 1982 by neurologist Stanley B. Prusiner. It is a portmanteau, blending the first two syllables of 'proteinaceous' and the last two syllables of 'infectious', with the addition of the agentive suffix '-on' (as in 'proton' or 'electron'). This construction was designed to describe the then-novel concept of a pathogenic agent consisting solely of protein, devoid of nucleic acids. The word's logic directly reflects its definition: a proteinaceous infectious particle, establishing a new category in biological pathology.
Analysis
The word is a modern scientific coinage formed by blending and clipping. It is not productively composed of classical morphemes in its current English spelling.
Examples
The disease is caused by a misfolded prion that corrupts normal brain proteins.
Scientists are researching ways to inhibit the replication of prions in neural tissue.
Prion diseases, like chronic wasting disease in deer, can spread within animal populations.