From Middle English virus, from Latin vīrus, via rhotacism from itc-pro *weizos, from Proto-Indo-European *wisós.

• enPR: vīʹrəs, IPA: /ˈvaɪɹəs/

virus

1. A submicroscopic, non-cellular structure consisting of a core of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat, that requires a living host cell to replicate, and often causes disease in the host organism; such agents are often classed as nonliving infectious particles and less often as microorganisms.

   Synonyms: Thesaurus:virus

   • 2001, Leslie Iversen, Drugs: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford, page 64:

     Viruses are the smallest and most simplified forms of life.

2. (uncountable) A quantity of such infectious agents
3. (informal, metonymically) A disease caused by such an infectious agent; a viral illness.

   He's got a virus and had to stay home from school.

4. (archaic) Venom, as produced by a poisonous animal etc.
5. (computing) 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.
6. (computing, proscribed) Any type of malware.
7. (figurative) Any malicious or dangerous entity that spreads from one place or person to another.
   • 2011, Pat Mesiti, The $1 Million Reason to Change Your Mind:

     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.

• French: virus
• German: Virus
• Italian: virus
• Portuguese: vírus
• Russian: ви́рус
• Spanish: virus

• French: virus informatique
• German: Computervirus
• Portuguese: vírus, vírus de computador
• Russian: ви́рус
• Spanish: virus

virus (viruses, present participle virusing; simple past and past participle virused)

1. (nonstandard, rare) To send or infect an electronic device with a computer virus.

   I'm just going to virus anyone who tries cheating on this game.

1. The taxonomic kingdom made up of the viruses, submicroscopic non-cellular structures consisting of a core of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat, that require a living host cell to replicate, and often cause disease in the host.