prion

[Arnold Zwicky]

On Aug 8, 2009, at 8:31 AM, Jon Lighter wrote:

> So it's not exactly an acronym. More like the less formal ways they
> use to
> dream up names for new products whose function and significance were
> once
> unimaginable.

PRO from "proteinaceous", IN from "infectious". with a bit of letter
rearrangement (possibly, the OED speculates, on the model of VIRION,
based on VIRUS).

arnold

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