December 1, 2020

Merriam-Webster Collegiate® Thesaurus

#virus
Function: noun

Synonyms: POISON, bane, contagion, venom
Related Words: corruption, taint

© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Merriam-Webster Collegiate® Dictionary

vi·rus
Pronunciation: 'vī-rəs
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural vi·rus·es
Etymology: Latin, venom, poisonous emanation; akin to Greek ios poison, Sanskrit vișa; in senses 2 & 4, from New Latin, from L
Date: 1599

1 archaic : VENOM 1
2 a : the causative agent of an infectious disease b : any of a large group of submicroscopic infective agents that are regarded either as extremely simple microorganisms or as extremely complex molecules, that typically contain a protein coat surrounding an RNA or DNA core of genetic material but no semipermeable membrane, that are capable of growth and multiplication only in living cells, and that cause various important diseases in humans, lower animals, or plants also : FILTERABLE VIRUS c : a disease or illness caused by a virus
3 : something that poisons the mind or soul (the force of this virus of prejudice ― V. S. Waters)
4 : a computer program that is usually hidden within another seemingly innocuous program and that produces copies of itself and inserts them into other programs and usually performs a malicious action (as destroying data)

x
virus (as used in expressions)
human immunodeficiency virus
AIDS virus
vaccinia virus
Coxsackie virus
DNA virus
Ebola virus
EB virus
Epstein Barr virus
filterable virus
Marburg virus
parainfluenza virus
respiratory syncytial virus
RNA virus
simian immunodeficiency virus
slow virus
tobacco mosaic virus
West Nile virus

© 2005 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia

virus (as used in expressions)
computer virus
Epstein-Barr virus
human immunodeficiency virus
plant virus
polyoma virus
West Nile virus

x
virus

Microscopic, simple infectious agent that can multiply only in living cells of animals, plants, or bacteria.

Viruses are much smaller than bacteria and consist of a single-or double-stranded nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein shell called a capsid; some viruses also have an outer envelope composed of lipids and proteins. They vary in shape. The two main classes are RNA viruses (see retrovirus) and DNA viruses. Outside of a living cell, a virus is an inactive particle, but within an appropriate host cell it becomes active, capable of taking over the cell's metabolic machinery for the production of new virus particles (virions). Some animal viruses produce latent infections, in which the virus persists in a quiet state, becoming periodically active in acute episodes, as in the case of the herpes simplex virus. An animal can respond to a viral infection in various ways, including fever, secretion of interferon, and attack by the immune system. Many human diseases, including influenza, the common cold, and AIDS, as well as many economically important plant and animal diseases, are caused by viruses. Successful vaccines have been developed to combat such viral diseases as measles, mumps, poliomyelitis, smallpox, and rubella. Drug therapy is generally not useful in controlling established viral infections, since drugs that inhibit viral development also inhibit the functions of the host cell. See also adenovirus; arbovirus; bacteriophage; picornavirus; plant virus; poxvirus.

© 2007 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Concise Oxford Thesaurus

virus
▶ noun. See list.
Viruses actinophage morbillivirus
adenovirus myxovirus
alphavirus oncornavirus
arbovirus orbivirus
arenavirus papillomavirus
bacteriophage papovavirus
baculovirus parainfluenza virus
Borna disease virus paramyxovirus
coronavirus parvovirus
Coxsackie virus picornavirus
cytomegalovirus poliovirus
Ebola virus polyomavirus
echovirus polyoma virus
enterovirus poxvirus
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reovirus
filovirus retrovirus
hantavirus rhabdovirus
herpes simplex virus rhinovirus
herpesvirus Ross River virus
herpes zoster virus rotavirus
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Sendai virus
human papilloma virus (HPV) Shope virus
influenza virus slow virus
Lassa virus tobacco mosaic virus (TMV)
lentivirus togavirus
leukovirus tumour virus
maedi virus ultravirus
Marburg virus varicella virus
mengovirus West Nile virus

© Oxford University Press 1995, 2002

Concise Oxford English Dictionary

virus
■ noun
a submicroscopic infective particle, typically consisting of nucleic acid coated in protein, which can multiply only within the cells of a host organism. ▶an infection or disease caused by such an agent.
(also computer virus) a piece of code surreptitiously introduced into a system in order to corrupt it or destroy data.

ME (denoting snake venom): from L., lit. 'slimy liquid, poison'.

© Oxford University Press, 2004