• Bacteriophage A virus that infects bacteria. Literally means bacteria-eater.

• Capsid The protein shell surrounding the viral genome. Can be helical or polyhedral.
• Centrifugation a centrifuge spins the sample to separate parts with different density.

• Electron microscopy microscopy that uses a beam of electrons to see things that are smaller than the wavelength of light
• Envelope the lipid membrane surrounding the viral capsid and genome
• Enveloped virus a virus that has a lipid membrane around its genome and capsid
• Filamentous long and thin, like spaghetti.
• Genome the genetic information of an organism or virus. Made of DNA or RNA and used to encode the proteins the virus needs to multiply.
• Grid sample support for the electron microscope
• Head the polyhedral capsid of a head-tail virus
• Helical spiral-shaped symmetry
• Host the animal, plant or bacteria that the virus needs to multiply
• Icosahedral twenty-fold symmetry in 3 dimensions.
• Pellet the solids at the bottom of the tube after centrifugation
• Phage see bacteriophage
• Pleiomorphic the virus particles have different shapes. Usually enveloped viruses
• Polyhedral literally multi-cornered. In viruses, forming a regularly shaped capsid.
• Protein the molecules that do most of the work in biology
• Supernatant the liquid at the top of the tube after centrifugation
• T-number way of showing the size of an icosahedral capsid
• Tail the long helical part of a head-tail virus
• Vector organism that transmits viruses. Often insects.
• Wavelength of light the part of the electromagnetic spectrum that we use to see.