Added 4 October 2026
virus
/ˈvaɪ.ɹəs/ noun
In Latin: vīrus Wiktionary
noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about virus at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
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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).
Some viruses, such as norovirus, cause sporadic outbreaks of gastroenteritis.
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A species thereof.
Some viruses, such as norovirus, cause sporadic outbreaks of gastroenteritis.
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An individual particle thereof: synonym of virion.
Under electron microscopy, a few viruses were seen floating near the cells.
verb
Origin
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.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)