virus
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).
Noun 4 meanings
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 quantity of such infectious agents, considered en masse.
“Not much virus was detectable on a nucleic acid test; the viral load was very low.”
A disease caused by such an infectious agent; a viral illness.
“He's got a virus and had to stay home from school.”
A type of malware which can covertly transmit itself between computers via networks (especially the Internet) or removable storage such as disks by inserting its code into other executable files, often causing damage to systems and data; also computer virus.
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.
VIRUS at a glance
VIRUS has 5 letters and scores 8 points in Scrabble (V 4 + I 1 + R 1 + U 1 + S 1) and 10 in Words With Friends, before board bonuses. It ranks #3,468 by how often it appears in everyday English. It is valid in ENABLE, NWL2023, Collins/SOWPODS.
Rhymes with virus
All rhymes- CHORUS11
- CYPRUS13
- CITRUS8
- UTERUS6
- PHOSPHORUS20
- CORONAVIRUS16
- GURUS6
- WALRUS9
- ANTIVIRUS12
- PAPYRUS14
- THESAURUS12
- HUMERUS12
One letter away
- VARUS8
- VIRES8
- VIRLS8
Keep going
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