Andromeda strain

[ an-drom-i-duh streyn ]

noun

1. an infectious pathogen that mutates unpredictably into new forms and shows extreme resistance to destruction by conventional means.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Andromeda strain¹

First recorded in 1970–75; after such a pathogen in a novel of the same name (1969) by U.S. author Michael Crichton (1942–2008)

Example Sentences

Gottlieb was equally exacting after signing up a young medical student named Michael Crichton and his novel, “The Andromeda Strain.”

From Seattle Times

Rob Salkowitz, author of “Comic-Con and the Business of Pop Culture,” says that the early stages of the pandemic itself felt like a fright film or a ’70s apocalyptic thriller like “The Andromeda Strain” or “The Omega Man.”

From Washington Post

For one, it was owned for half a century by James Olson, the actor who starred in the films “Commando” and “The Andromeda Strain” and appeared in dozens of TV series.

From Los Angeles Times

After he made a name for himself on “2001,” he worked on Robert Wise’s adaptation of “The Andromeda Strain,” Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” Wise’s “Star Trek: The Motion Picture,” and Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner.”

From Seattle Times

Mac and cheese with “Andromeda Strain” and eggs and bacon for “This Is the End” — for disastrous times, a roster of disaster movies, and easy meals to go with them.

From Los Angeles Times