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virus definition

vi·rus (vī′rəs)

noun

  1. Obsolete venom, as of a snake
    1. any of a kingdom (Virus) of prokaryotes, usually ultramicroscopic, that consist of nucleic acid, either RNA or DNA, within a case of protein: they infect animals, plants, and bacteria and reproduce only within living cells: viruses are considered as being either living organisms or inert chemicals
    2. a disease caused by a virus
  3. anything that corrupts or poisons the mind or character; evil or harmful influence
  4. an unauthorized, disruptive set of instructions placed in a computer program, that leaves copies of itself in other programs and disks

Etymology: L, a slimy liquid, poison < IE base *weis-, to flow (used of foul or malodorous fluids) > ooze, weasel, Gr ios, poison

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

finance virus definition - finance

hacker Virus definition - hacker

medical virus definition - medical

telecom virus definition - telecom

virus Synonyms

virus

n.

  1. An infection

    sickness, communicability, illness; see disease, infection.

  2. An organism

    microorganism, bacillus, phage; see germ 3.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

virus Usage Examples

Converse of subject

  • infect: The hackers use ' zombie PCs ' , infected by viruses such as MyDoom and Bagle, making law-abiding users and businesses unwitting participants.

Converse of object

  • blood-bear: Identifying and testing at risk patients Testing Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus that can cause significant damage to the liver.

Adjective modifier

  • h5n1: The strain of H5N1 virus found in Asia has not been found in the United States.

Modifies a noun

  • scanner: Many programs, such as virus scanners, are set by default to obtain updates.

Noun used with modifier

  • influenza: Most of the avian influenza virus isolates are low pathogenic.
virus usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

virus quotes

If this is what virus pneumonia does to one, I really don't think I shall bother to have it again.

-Cooper, Dame Gladys

Columbus and his men, they say, Conveyed the virus hither Whereby my features rot away And vital powers wither; Yet had they not traversed the seas And come infected back, Why, think of all the luxuries That modern life would lack.

-Wilbur, Richard

virus quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"virus." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/virus>

APA Style

virus. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/virus

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