omicron
noun
ˈä-mə-ˌkrän
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\.
Examples of omicron in a Sentence
Erika Edwards, NBC News, 7 Feb. 2024
This is a switch from the current formula, which is bivalent, targeting both the spike protein from the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain and the previous leading omicron subvariants BA.4/5 (which share a spike protein).
—Beth Mole, Ars Technica, 15 June 2023
Most of the children with RSV and omicron were younger than 2 years of age (77.7% and 72.3%, respectively) while 81% of children with the flu were older.
—Katherine Kahn | Medpage Today, ABC News, 27 Dec. 2023
A number of descendants of the COVID variant omicron are jockeying for dominance in Texas.
—Marin Wolf, Dallas News, 25 Aug. 2023
Experts say this time is different because previous increases involved a more infectious variant, such as delta or omicron, and less immunity from vaccines.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 1 Aug. 2023
As the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 pandemic spreads across the country, finding the right mask to protect yourself has gotten harder within previous months.
—Taylyn Washington-Harmon, Men's Health, 20 Jan. 2022
Going full steam ahead with a large, live production as the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to sweep through the United States wasn’t an easy decision to make, Danis says.
—Michelle F. Solomon, sun-sentinel.com, 19 Jan. 2022
The problems hobbling the subway have gotten worse since the arrival of the fast-spreading Omicron variant, which has reversed a recovery that had been progressing for months.
—New York Times, 14 Jan. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'omicron.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near omicron
Cite this Entry
“Omicron.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omicron. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
omicron
noun
ˈä-mə-ˌkrän
Louis Jacobson, California HealthlineFDAnews Drug Daily Bulletin
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