any of several viruses whose genetic specification is encoded in RNA rather than DNA and that are able to reverse the normal flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA by transcribing RNA into DNA: many retroviruses are known to cause cancer in animals
Derived forms
retroviral (ˈretroˌviral)
adjective
retrovirus in American English
(ˈrɛtroʊˌvaɪrəs)
noun
any of a family (Retroviridae) of RNA viruses which have a virion that makes reverse transcriptase, including the viruses that cause leukemia and , AIDS