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.

noun

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.
   Viruses are the smallest and most simplified forms of life. 2001, Leslie Iversen, Drugs: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford, page 64
   Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. 2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193
2. (uncountable) A quantity of such infectious agents
   Unless professionally inspected, they [plants] may also carry along unseen pests and diseases (particularly small insects and microbes such as virus or bacteria) whose populations might explode catastrophically in new locations. 2006, Norman E. Borlaug, Anthony Cunningham, Jane I. Guyer, Hans R. Herren, Calestous Juma, Akinlawon Mabogunje, Barbara Underwood, Montague Yudelman, chapter 1, in Lost Crops of Africa: Volume 2: Vegetables (U.S. National Research Council Consensus Study Report) (non-fiction), Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press, →DOI, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, archived from the original on 2021-09-02, page xviii
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.
   Brazil, that inferno where every budding flower and every buzzing bluebottle fly bears a lascivious virus. 1890, Aluísio Azevedo, The Slum
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.
   Wait a minute! Is this one of those virus emails?! 15 November 2004, Michael Chapman; Matthew Chapman, “Strong Bad Email #118: virus”, in Homestar Runner, spoken by Strong Bad (Matthew Chapman)
6. (computing, proscribed) Any type of malware.
7. (figurative) Any malicious or dangerous entity that spreads from one place or person to another.
   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. 2011, Pat Mesiti, The $1 Million Reason to Change Your Mind

verb

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.