tobacco mosaic virus

noun

1. a retrovirus causing mosaic disease in members of the nightshade family. Abbreviation: TMV

noun

1. the virus that causes mosaic disease in tobacco and related plants: its discovery in 1892 provided the first evidence of the existence of virusesAbbreviation: TMV

n.

1. A retrovirus that causes a disease in tobacco and some other plants and is widely used in the study of viruses and viral diseases.