Coronavirus has been the topic of conversation for months, but when you stop and think about it, how much do you actually know about the virus?

There may be some things you don't know, but feel like it's too late in the piece to ask about.

But they aren't dumb questions and you're not the only one asking them.

Here are some of the questions people are asking Google right now.

What is a coronavirus?

COVID-19 is the disease caused by just one type of coronavirus.

Coronavirus is the name for a big group of viruses that cause illnesses.

These range from the common cold and gastrointestinal infections, to more severe diseases including SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome).

The "corona" part of their name is for the corona, or crown, of surface proteins that the virus uses to penetrate the cells of its host.

Some coronaviruses can infect humans and others can infect animals like bats and camels.

The virus causing the outbreak is one of multiple coronaviruses. ( Centres for Disease Control and Prevention via AP )

In rare cases, animal coronaviruses can evolve to infect humans.

That's what happened in the case of SARS and MERS.

Civet cats transmitted SARS to humans, while MERS was passed on via dromedary camels.

How did coronavirus start?

It's thought it originated in bats.

But the thinking is the virus could have infected humans through another animal.

The first human cases of coronavirus were linked to a seafood and live animal market in Wuhan, in China's Hubei province.

Researchers still have a lot to learn about the virus, but they believe it originated in bats. ( ABC North Qld: Lily Nothling )

But there are questions about whether bats were sold at this market.

So researchers are looking into the possibility that another animal was infected by a bat before being traded at the market and, in turn, infecting humans.

Researchers aren't sure what this intermediary animal is.

One paper published last month suggested this infected inbetweener could have been a snake, a turtle or a pangolin — a scaly animal known for its use in traditional Chinese medicines.

But the researchers in that study leaned towards turtles — which they referred to as a "virus reservoir" capable of carrying dozens of viruses —as they are traded more commonly than pangolins, which are traded illegally.

A pangolin, but not this specific pangolin, could have passed the virus to humans. ( Reuters: Kham )

Why is it called COVID-19?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) wanted to make sure the name of disease didn't refer to a place, group of people or an animal.

"Having a name matters to prevent the use of other names that can be inaccurate or stigmatising," WHO's director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"It also gives us a standard format to use for any future coronavirus outbreaks."

They also wanted to make sure it wasn't complicated to pronounce, so ordinary people could remember it and talk about it easily.

Some people remember it by saying it to the tune of the Dexy's Midnight Runners song Come on Eileen.

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If you want to get specific, COVID-19 is the name of the disease this strain of virus causes, in the same way AIDS is the disease caused by HIV.

'CO' stands for corona, 'VI' is for virus, and 'D' is for disease.

The 19 bit is because human cases of the virus were actually reported in late 2019, even though most of us didn't hear about it until January 2020.

The virus itself is actually called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, which is shortened to SARS-CoV-2.

But it's totally fine to just call it "coronavirus".

The WHO wanted to make sure no one was stigmatised by the name of the virus. ( AP: Jean-Christophe Bott via Keystone )

How does coronavirus spread?

The virus travels in tiny droplets from an infected person's mouth or nose, which are spread when that person coughs and exhales.

You can be infected by inhaling these droplets, which is why we're being told to stay 1.5 metres away from others.

But you don't have to be in someone's personal space to get infected.

You can also catch COVID-19 just by touching objects or surfaces where these droplets have landed and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

This is why we're being told to keep things clean and have been given the near-impossible task of not touching our faces.

WHO says studies suggest the virus may be present in faeces, but that mode of transmission isn't a main feature of the current outbreak.

But it does drive home the importance of thoroughly washing your hands after trips to the bathroom.

Handwashing is slowing down the spread of the virus. ( Pexels )

How long will coronavirus last?

We don't know.

The outbreak appears to have slowed down in China, with Chinese officials reporting only five new cases in Wuhan over the weekend.

And lockdown restrictions are easing in the Hubei province.

But this is coming roughly three months after the outbreak really kicked into gear.

When announcing new mass gathering restrictions on Wednesday afternoon, Prime Minister Scott Morrison suggested the outbreak could stretch on for "at least six months".

"It could be much longer than that, it could be shorter," he said.

"[But] that's unlikely, given the way we are seeing events unfold."