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
See all Example Sentences for omicron 
Dictionary Entries Near omicron
Cite this Entry
“Omicron.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/omicron. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
omicron
noun
ˈä-mə-ˌkrän
Louis Jacobson, California HealthlineFDAnews Drug Daily Bulletin
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