The name `` coronavirus '' is derived from the Latin `` corona '' , meaning crown or halo , and refers to the characteristic appearance of virions under electron microscopy ( E.M. ) with a fringe of large , bulbous surface projections creating an image reminiscent of a royal crown or of the solar corona .
The name `` coronavirus '' is derived from the Latin `` corona '' , meaning crown or halo , and refers to how virions look under electron microscopy ( E.M. ) . They have a fringe of large , bulbous surface projections looking like a crown .