n :  a protein particle that lacks nucleic acid and is often considered to be the cause of various infectious diseases of the nervous system (as scrapie and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) .
 
 
 
Similar sounding terms:  par·a·nee  para·noia  perinea  perinei 
 
Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.  © 1997-2004.