About The Word Virus

Bay Area Crosswords

Learn about the word Virus to help solve your crossword puzzle. Discover Virus definitions and meaning, origins, synonyms, related terms and more at the free Crossword Dictionary.

Virus

Virus Meaning & Definition
Virus Definition And Meaning

What's The Definition Of Virus?

[n] ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts; many are pathogenic; a piece of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) wrapped in a thin coat of protein

Synonyms | Synonyms for Virus:

Related Terms | Find terms related to Virus:

See Also | animal virus | bacteriophage | microorganism | phage | plant virus | slow virus | tumor virus

Virus In Webster's Dictionary

\Vi"rus\, n. [L., a slimy liquid, a poisonous liquid, poison, stench; akin to Gr. ? poison, Skr. visha. Cf. {Wizen}, v. i.] 1. (Med.) (a) Contagious or poisonous matter, as of specific ulcers, the bite of snakes, etc.; -- applied to organic poisons. (b) The special contagion, inappreciable to the senses and acting in exceedingly minute quantities, by which a disease is introduced into the organism and maintained there. Note: The specific virus of diseases is now regarded as a microscopic living vegetable organism which multiplies within the body, and, either by its own action or by the associated development of a chemical poison, causes the phenomena of the special disease. 2. Fig.: Any morbid corrupting quality in intellectual or moral conditions; something that poisons the mind or the soul; as, the virus of obscene books.

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