vi·rus

(vī′rəs)

n. pl. vi·rus·es

a. Any of various submicroscopic agents that infect living organisms, often causing disease, and that consist of a single or double strand of RNA or DNA surrounded by a protein coat. Unable to replicate without a host cell, viruses are typically not considered living organisms.

b. A disease caused by a virus.

2. A computer program or series of commands that can replicate itself and that spreads by inserting copies of itself into other files or programs which users later transfer to other computers. Viruses usually have a harmful effect, as in erasing all the data on a disk.

3. A harmful or destructive influence: the pernicious virus of racism.

[Latin vīrus, poison.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

virus

(ˈvaɪrəs)

n, pl -ruses

1. (Microbiology) any of a group of submicroscopic entities consisting of a single nucleic acid chain surrounded by a protein coat and capable of replication only within the cells of living organisms: many are pathogenic

2. (Pathology) informal a disease caused by a virus

3. any corrupting or infecting influence

4. (Computer Science) computing an unauthorized program that inserts itself into a computer system and then propagates itself to other computers via networks or disks; when activated it interferes with the operation of the computer

[C16: from Latin: slime, poisonous liquid; related to Old English wāse marsh, Greek ios poison]

ˈvirus-ˌlike adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

vi•rus

(ˈvaɪ rəs)

n., pl. -rus•es.

1. an ultramicroscopic (20 to 300 nm in diameter), metabolically inert, infectious agent that replicates only within the cells of living hosts, mainly bacteria, plants, and animals: composed of an RNA or DNA core, a protein coat, and, in more complex types, a surrounding envelope.

2. a disease caused by a virus.

3. a corrupting influence on morals or the intellect; poison.

4. a segment of self-replicating code planted illegally in a computer program, often to damage or shut down a system or network.

[1590–1600; < Latin vīrus slime, poison; akin to ooze²]

vi′rus•like`, adj.

vi·rus

(vī′rəs)

1. Any of a large group of disease-causing agents consisting of a segment of RNA or DNA within a protein shell. All viruses are parasites because they can reproduce only inside the cells of plants, animals, and bacteria. Viruses are usually not considered living organisms.

2. Computer Science A computer program that is meant to disable or damage the computer's memory or to cause another program to malfunction. Computer viruses usually copy themselves over and over.

viral adjective

The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

virus

- A Latin word meaning "poison" or "slimy liquid," it first meant "venom of a snake."

virus

1. An almost lifelike, extremely small particle made of protein and nucleic acid. It needs to parasitize a living cell in order to reproduce.

2. An unauthorized program that inserts itself into a computer’s data and interferes, often destructively, with the computer’s functioning.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	virus - (virology) ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts; many are pathogenic; a piece of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) wrapped in a thin coat of protein microorganism, micro-organism - any organism of microscopic size arborvirus, arbovirus - a large heterogeneous group of RNA viruses divisible into groups on the basis of the virions; they have been recovered from arthropods, bats, and rodents; most are borne by arthropods; they are linked by the epidemiologic concept of transmission between vertebrate hosts by arthropod vectors (mosquitoes, ticks, sandflies, midges, etc.) that feed on blood; they can cause mild fevers, hepatitis, hemorrhagic fever, and encephalitis virion - (virology) a complete viral particle; nucleic acid and capsid (and a lipid envelope in some viruses) bacteriophage, phage - a virus that is parasitic (reproduces itself) in bacteria; "phage uses the bacterium's machinery and energy to produce more phage until the bacterium is destroyed and phage is released to invade surrounding bacteria" plant virus - a plant pathogen that is a virus consisting of a single strand of RNA animal virus - an animal pathogen that is a virus slow virus - a virus that remains dormant in the body for a long time before symptoms appear; "kuru is caused by a slow virus" tumor virus - a cell-free filtrate held to be a virus responsible for a specific neoplasm vector - (genetics) a virus or other agent that is used to deliver DNA to a cell virology - the branch of medical science that studies viruses and viral diseases infectious agent, infective agent - an agent capable of producing infection atrophic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatism - a chronic autoimmune disease with inflammation of the joints and marked deformities; something (possibly a virus) triggers an attack on the synovium by the immune system, which releases cytokines that stimulate an inflammatory reaction that can lead to the destruction of all components of the joint inoculant, inoculum - a substance (a virus or toxin or immune serum) that is introduced into the body to produce or increase immunity to a particular disease
	2.	virus - a harmful or corrupting agency; "bigotry is a virus that must not be allowed to spread"; "the virus of jealousy is latent in everyone" delegacy, representation, agency - the state of serving as an official and authorized delegate or agent
	3.	virus - a software program capable of reproducing itself and usually capable of causing great harm to files or other programs on the same computer; "a true virus cannot spread to another computer without human assistance" computer virus malevolent program - a computer program designed to have undesirable or harmful effects

virus

noun

Anything that is injurious, destructive, or fatal:

bane, canker, contagion, poison, toxin, venom.

Translations

virus

فيروسفَيْرُوسفيروس في الكومبيوترفيروس، جُرْثومَهفيروسي، جُرْثومي

вирус

virus

virusvirvirový

virus

Virus

ιός

viruso

virus vírico

viirus

ویروس

virus

virus viral

נגיף

वायरस

virus

vírusvírusosszámítógépes vírus

virus

veiraveira, vírusveiru-

virus

ウイルス

바이러스

virus

virusasvirusinis

vīrussdatorvirussvīrusa-

virus

virus virus-datavirus

wirus

vírus

virus

вирус

vírusvírusový

virus

virusвирус

virus

เชื้อเชื้อไวรัสไวรัส

virüs

вірус

حُمہ

virusvi-rút

病毒病毒的计算机病毒

virus

[ˈvaɪərəs]

A. N (viruses (pl)) (Med, Comput) → virus m inv
rabies virus → virus m inv de la rabia
the AIDS virus → el virus del SIDA
a computer virus → un virus informático

B. CPD virus disease N → enfermedad f vírica

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

virus

[ˈvaɪərəs] n

(MEDICINE) → virus m

(COMPUTING) → virus m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

virus

(Med) → Virus nt or m, → Erreger m; polio virus → Polioerreger m; the AIDS virus → das Aidsvirus; virus disease → Viruskrankheit f; she’s got or caught a virus (inf: = flu etc) → sie hat sich (dat) → was geholt or eingefangen (inf)

(fig) → Geschwür nt

(Comput) → Virus nt or m; virus-infected → virenbefallen; virus detection → Viruserkennung f

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

virus

[ˈvaɪərəs] n → virus m inv

virus

(ˈvaiərəs) noun

1. any of various types of germs that are a cause of disease.

2. a computer code that is inserted into a program to destroy information or cause errors.

adjective

He is suffering from a virus infection.

virus

→ فَيْرُوس vir virus Virus ιός virus virus virus virus virus ウイルス 바이러스 virus virus wirus vírus вирус virus เชื้อไวรัส virüs vi-rút 病毒

virus

n (pl viruses) virus m; attenuated — virus atenuado; Epstein-Barr — (EBV) virus Epstein-Barr (VEB); flu — virus gripal or de la gripe; hepatitis B — (HBV), hepatitis C — (HCV), etc. virus de la hepatitis B (VHB), virus de la hepatitis C (VHC), etc.; herpes simplex — (HSV) virus herpes simple (VHS); human immunodeficiency — (HIV) virus de (la) inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH); human T-lymphotrophic — virus linfotrópico humano de células T; influenza — virus de (la) influenza; live — virus vivo; Norwalk — virus Norwalk; respiratory syncytial — virus respiratorio sincitial; varicella-zoster — virus varicela-zóster; West Nile — virus del Nilo Occidental

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

In this section of Kaol we are all armed with a long sith spear, whose point is smeared with the poison of the creature it is intended to kill; no other virus acts so quickly upon the beast as its own.

"Thus we maintain our supply, though were it not for certain commercial uses to which the virus is put, it would scarcely be necessary to add to our present store, since the sith is almost extinct.

View in context

They cooked their meat before they ate it and they shunned many articles of food as unclean that Tarzan had eaten with gusto all his life and so insidious is the virus of hypocrisy that even the stalwart ape-man hesitated to give rein to his natural longings before them.

View in context

So quickly the virus worked that at the end of a dozen leaps the deer plunged headlong into the undergrowth, dead.

View in context

It has never been dollar-mad, nor frenzied by the virus of stock-gambling.

View in context

A youth of insinuating manners, he had appealed to Mrs Keith from the start; and unfortunately the virus had extended to Elsa.

View in context

As soon as I was able to be about again, I sought out some adult vipers of the species which had stung me, and having killed them, I extracted their virus, smearing it upon the tips of several arrows.

View in context

If I knew for a certainty that a man was coming to my house with the conscious design of doing me good, I should run for my life, as from that dry and parching wind of the African deserts called the simoom, which fills the mouth and nose and ears and eyes with dust till you are suffocated, for fear that I should get some of his good done to me -- some of its virus mingled with my blood.

View in context

The virus of its sting spelled death for lesser things than he--for him it would mean days of anguish.

View in context

The genus Lyssavirus within the family Rhabdoviridae currently includes rabies virus (RABV) (genotype 1) and 6 rabies-related viruses: 3 from Africa, Lagos bat virus (LBV) (genotype 2), Mokola virus (MOKV) (genotype 3), and Duvenhage virus (DUVV) (genotype 4); European bat lyssaviruses 1 and 2 (EBEV1 and 2) (genotypes 5 and 6); and Australian bat lyssavirus (ABEV) (genotype 7) (1).

Fatal human infection with rabies-related Duvenhage virus, South Africa

A: Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a disease caused by a virus. Viruses are tiny, nonliving particles that invade and then reproduce inside of living cells.

Bird flu: the facts you need to know

Scientists had previously demonstrated that the vaccine could avert Marburg virus when administered a month before exposure (SN: 7/16/05, p.

Defending against a deadly foe: vaccine forestalls fearsome virus