omicron

noun

om·i·cron ˈō-mə-ˌkrän

ˈä-mə-ˌkrän

British also ō-ˈmī-(ˌ)krän

plural omicrons

: the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet see Alphabet Table

or less commonly Omicron : omicron variant

The speed of omicron's rise is quicker than the rise of previous variants of the virus, said Hannah Barbian, a Rush University Medical Center virologist who worked on the testing.

Sarah Freishtat

How a Virus Got Its Name: Usage Guide

In November 2021, a COVID-19 variant was named Omicron, after the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet. The World Health Organization uses Greek letters to name variants, because these names are easier to communicate than scientific designations like B.1.617.2. According to the WHO, the 13th and 14th Greek letters (nu and xi) were skipped over because "nu" sounds like "new," and "xi" is also a common surname.

How to Pronounce Omicron: Usage Guide

The pronunciation of omicron has several variant forms acceptable in standard English. In American English, the primary stress is usually on the first syllable, pronounced as either a short \o\ as \ˈä-mə-ˌkrän\ or a long \o\ as \ˈō-mə-ˌkrän\. In British English, the primary stress can also be heard on the second syllable: \ō-ˈmī-(ˌ)krän\.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The omicron variant arrived in the U.S. just after Thanksgiving last year and caused the pandemic's biggest wave of cases.

Arkansas Online, 26 Nov. 2022 The omicron variant arrived in the U.S. just after Thanksgiving last year and caused the pandemic’s biggest wave of cases.

Laura Ungar, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Nov. 2022 Jha highlighted efforts and tools to prevent another towering wave of infection as seen with the original omicron in January.

Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 12 July 2022 That genetic drift may partly explain why infection with the original omicron provides little protection against reinfection with its variants.

Aidin Vaziri, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 July 2022 Three weeks ago, much of the greater Chicago area was rated high for coronavirus transmission as the region continued to deal with omicron and its subvariants.

Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune, 16 June 2022 Case numbers are once again high this spring with omicron and its subvariants BA.2 and BA.2.12.1 easily infecting people, even those who are vaccinated and boosted.

Julie Mazziotta, PEOPLE.com, 31 May 2022 Pulliam and her colleagues have collected enough data in South Africa to say that the rate is higher with omicron than seen with previous variants.

Apoorva Mandavilli, BostonGlobe.com, 19 May 2022 Part of the reason the booster dose was authorized, Dr. Russo adds, comes down to what scientists and doctors are currently seeing: a large number of people infected with omicron even after vaccination and a booster dose.

Maggie O'neill, SELF, 18 May 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'omicron.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.