virus
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: enpr: vīʹrəs
ipa: /ˈvaɪ.ɹəs/
rhymes: -aɪɹəs
Forms: form: viruses
form: virusses
form: vira
form: viri
form: virii
Etymology: From Middle English virus, from Latin vīrus (“poison, slime, venom”), via rhotacism from Proto-Italic *weizos, from Proto-Indo-European *wisós (“fluidity, slime, poison”). First use in the computer context by David Gerrold in his 1972 book When HARLIE Was One.
Senses: examples: text: Viruses are the smallest and most simplified forms of life.
ref: 2001, Leslie Iversen, Drugs: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford, page 64:
text: Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola.
ref: 2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193:
glosses: A submicroscopic, non-cellular structure that consists of a core of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat, that requires a living host cell to replicate, and that sometimes causes disease in the host organism (such agents are often classed as nonliving infectious particles and less often as microorganisms).
examples: text: Meronym: virion (individual particle)
text: Some viruses, such as norovirus, cause sporadic outbreaks of gastroenteritis.
glosses: A submicroscopic, non-cellular structure that consists of a core of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat, that requires a living host cell to replicate, and that sometimes causes disease in the host organism (such agents are often classed as nonliving infectious particles and less often as microorganisms).
A species thereof.
examples: text: Under electron microscopy, a few viruses were seen floating near the cells.
glosses: A submicroscopic, non-cellular structure that consists of a core of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat, that requires a living host cell to replicate, and that sometimes causes disease in the host organism (such agents are often classed as nonliving infectious particles and less often as microorganisms).
An individual particle thereof: synonym of virion.
qualifier: occasionally proscribed
examples: text: Not much virus was detectable on a nucleic acid test; the viral load was very low.
text: Unless professionally inspected, they [plants] may also carry along unseen pests and diseases (particularly small insects and microbes such as virus or bacteria) whose populations might explode catastrophically in new locations.
ref: 2006, Norman E. Borlaug, Anthony Cunningham, Jane I. Guyer, Hans R. Herren, Calestous Juma, Akinlawon Mabogunje, Barbara Underwood, Montague Yudelman, chapter 1, in Lost Crops of Africa: Volume 2: Vegetables (U.S. National Research Council Consensus Study Report) (non-fiction), Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, →DOI, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, archived from the original on 02 Sep 2021, page xviii:
glosses: A quantity of such infectious agents, considered en masse.
examples: text: He's got a virus and had to stay home from school.
glosses: A disease caused by such an infectious agent; a viral illness.
examples: text: Brazil, that inferno where every budding flower and every buzzing bluebottle fly bears a lascivious virus.
ref: 1890, Aluísio Azevedo, The Slum:
glosses: Venom, as produced by a poisonous animal etc.
examples: text: Wait a minute! Is this one of those virus emails?!
ref: 2004 November 15, Michael Chapman; Matthew Chapman, “Strong Bad Email #118: virus”, in Homestar Runner, spoken by Strong Bad (Matthew Chapman):
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: A type of malware which can covertly transmit itself between computers via networks (especially the Internet) or removable storage such as disks, often causing damage to systems and data; also computer virus.
topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
natural-sciences
physical-sciences
sciences
glosses: Any type of malware.
examples: text: I am tired of the mind viruses that are crippling people living in the western world — especially in my own nation. Sadly, Australia is becoming known as a nation of whingers.
ref: 2011, Pat Mesiti, The $1 Million Reason to Change Your Mind:
glosses: Any malicious or dangerous entity that spreads from one place or person to another.
Synonyms: word: virus
Hypernyms: topics: computing
engineering
mathematics
sciences
physical-sciences
natural-sciences
word: malware
Hyponyms: sense: Computing
word: antivirus
sense: Computing
word: cryptovirus
sense: Virology
word: adeno-associated virus
sense: Virology
word: African swine fever virus
sense: Virology
word: BK virus
sense: Virology
word: black queen cell virus
sense: Virology
word: Bourbon virus
sense: Virology
word: B virus
sense: Virology
word: camelpox virus
sense: Virology
word: canine distemper virus
sense: Virology
word: CCP virus
sense: Virology
word: China virus
sense: Virology
word: Chinese virus
sense: Virology
word: Chronic bee paralysis virus
sense: Virology
word: chronic bee paralysis virus
sense: Virology
word: cloudy wing virus
sense: Virology
word: corona-virus
sense: Virology
word: corona virus
sense: Virology
word: coronavirus
sense: Virology
word: cowpox virus
sense: Virology
word: crown virus
sense: Virology
word: cucumber mosaic virus
sense: Virology
word: cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus
sense: Virology
word: deformed wing virus
sense: Virology
word: DNA virus
sense: Virology
word: Ebola virus
sense: Virology
word: Epstein-Barr virus
sense: Virology
word: GB virus C
sense: Virology
word: giant virus
sense: Virology
word: Grampus griseus endogenous virus
sense: Virology
word: helper virus
sense: Virology
word: hepatitis delta virus
sense: Virology
word: herpes simplex virus
sense: Virology
word: HIV virus
sense: Virology
word: Hosta virus X
sense: Virology
word: human immunodeficiency virus
sense: Virology
word: human immunodeficiency virus 1
sense: Virology
word: human immunodeficiency virus 2
sense: Virology
word: idea virus
sense: Virology
word: Jamestown Canyon virus
sense: Virology
word: JC virus
sense: Virology
word: Junin virus
sense: Virology
word: Kakugo virus
sense: Virology
word: Kunjin virus
sense: Virology
word: Lassa virus
sense: Virology
word: Machupo virus
sense: Virology
word: macro virus
sense: Virology
word: Marburg virus
sense: Virology
word: Marburg virus disease
sense: Virology
word: mosaic virus
sense: Virology
word: Neethling virus
sense: Virology
word: Nipah virus
sense: Virology
word: Norwalk virus
sense: Virology
word: passenger virus
sense: Virology
word: potato virus X
sense: Virology
word: Qalyub virus
sense: Virology
word: respiratory syncytial virus
sense: Virology
word: Reston virus
sense: Virology
word: rhinovirus
sense: Virology
word: RNA virus
sense: Virology
word: Ross River virus
sense: Virology
word: Rous sarcoma virus
sense: Virology
word: Schmallenberg virus
sense: Virology
word: Sendai virus
sense: Virology
word: Shope papilloma virus
sense: Virology
word: simian immunodeficiency virus
sense: Virology
word: sugarcane mosaic virus
sense: Virology
word: Tulane virus
sense: Virology
word: tulip-breaking virus
sense: Virology
word: varicella zoster virus
sense: Virology
word: walleye epidermal hyperplasia virus
sense: Virology
word: West Nile virus
sense: Virology
word: Wuhan virus
sense: Virology
word: Zika virus
word: phage
word: bacteriophage
word: virophage
word: adenovirus
word: alphahypovirus
word: cachavirus
word: chuvirus
word: cytomegalovirus
word: enterovirus
word: filovirus
word: herpesvirus
word: hypovirus
word: picornavirus
word: retrovirus
word: rotavirus
word: rhabdovirus
word: varicosavirus
word: Bunyamwera virus
Derived terms: sense: Virology
word: adenovirus
sense: Virology
word: AIDS virus
sense: Virology
word: antiviral
sense: Virology
word: bacteriovirus
sense: Virology
word: baculovirus
sense: Virology
word: badnavirus
sense: Virology
word: becurtovirus
sense: Virology
word: bidnavirus
sense: Virology
word: birnavirus
sense: Virology
word: carcinovirus
sense: Virology
word: cardiovirus
sense: Virology
word: countervirus
sense: Virology
word: curtovirus
sense: Virology
word: Ebola virus disease
sense: Virology
word: encephalovirus
sense: Virology
word: enterovirus
sense: Virology
word: entomovirus
sense: Virology
word: Four Corners virus
sense: Virology
word: frankenvirus
sense: Virology
word: girus
sense: Virology
word: halovirus
sense: Virology
word: hepatitis A virus
sense: Virology
word: hepatitis B virus
sense: Virology
word: hepatitis C virus
sense: Virology
word: hepatitis D virus
sense: Virology
word: hepatitis E virus
sense: Virology
word: hepatitis G virus
sense: Virology
word: hypovirus
sense: Virology
word: immunovirus
sense: Virology
word: influenzavirus
sense: Virology
word: intervirus
sense: Virology
word: leukaemiavirus
sense: Virology
word: lymphocryptovirus
sense: Virology
word: macrovirus
sense: Virology
word: megavirus
sense: Virology
word: microvirus
sense: Virology
word: mimivirus
sense: Virology
word: Muerto Canyon virus
sense: Virology
word: mycovirus
sense: Virology
word: myxovirus
sense: Virology
word: neurovirus
sense: Virology
word: nonvirus
sense: Virology
word: omicron virus
sense: Virology
word: Omicron virus
sense: Virology
word: oncovirus
sense: Virology
word: palaeovirus
sense: Virology
word: paleovirus
sense: Virology
word: papillomavirus
sense: Virology
word: parainfluenzavirus
sense: Virology
word: paramyxovirus
sense: Virology
word: parvovirus
sense: Virology
word: phycovirus
sense: Virology
word: phytovirus
sense: Virology
word: poliovirus
sense: Virology
word: polyomavirus
sense: Virology
word: poxvirus
sense: Virology
word: protovirus
sense: Virology
word: provirus
sense: Virology
word: pseudovirus
sense: Virology
word: retrovirus
sense: Virology
word: ribodeoxyvirus
sense: Virology
word: ribovirus
sense: Virology
word: spiravirus
sense: Virology
word: subvirus
sense: Virology
word: supervirus
sense: Virology
word: tetravirus
sense: Virology
word: ultravirus
sense: Virology
word: viral
sense: Virology
word: viricide
sense: Virology
word: virion
sense: Virology
word: viroid
sense: Virology
word: virokine
sense: Virology
word: virosis
sense: Virology
word: viruscide
sense: Virology
word: virusemia
sense: Virology
word: virusless
sense: Virology
word: viruslike
sense: Virology
word: virusoid
sense: Virology
word: virusproof
sense: Virology
word: virus-proof
sense: Virology
word: virussy
sense: Virology
word: woke mind virus