How did coronavirus get its name?

ATLANTA - It’s practically impossible to go even an hour without hearing the word coronavirus.

That’s all anyone has been able to talk about since it spread from mainland China to five other continents.

But where did the name come from?

For starters, Cervecería Modelo is delighted to tell you coronavirus did not come from its popular Corona beer brand.

RELATED: No, Corona beer is not linked to China’s coronavirus outbreak

It’s crucial to understand the difference between a virus and disease. Colloquially, the phrases are used interchangeably.

In a more literal sense, viruses cause diseases.

The word coronavirus is more of an umbrella term that refers to a group of viruses that cause diseases like SARS, MERS and COVID-19.

As is often the case in the scientific world, coronavirus’ name is Latin. In the ancient language, corona means crown.

According to Queensland Health, virions give off the appearance of a crown when the virus is examined with an electron microscope.

As for the new disease caused by the coronavirus, it was originally called novel coronavirus. In February, the World Health Organization gave us the name COVID-19.

The CO stands for corona. VI is for virus. And D means disease.

The 19 is for 2019, the year the disease first appeared in China.

This story was reported from Atlanta.