virus
- 01 A2 Elementary
a tiny living thing that enters your body and can make you sick.
a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism.
Simple“The doctor said my sore throat was caused by a common virus.”
In context“Researchers are studying how the virus mutates when it moves from animal hosts to human populations.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
a sickness or infection caused by a virus.
an illness or medical condition resulting from a viral infection.
Simple“I missed three days of work because of a stomach virus.”
In context“The school reported a high number of absences this week due to a seasonal respiratory virus circulating among the students.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
a harmful computer program that can copy itself and damage your files.
a piece of code which is capable of copying itself and typically has a detrimental effect, such as corrupting the system or destroying data.
Simple“Never click on suspicious links or you might get a virus on your laptop.”
In context“The company's security software detected a sophisticated virus that was attempting to encrypt sensitive financial records.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
something bad or dangerous that spreads quickly from person to person.
a harmful or corrupting influence that spreads rapidly within a group or society.
Simple“Hatred can spread like a virus through a community.”
In context“The orator warned that misinformation was a virus threatening the very foundations of their democratic institutions.”
Usage virus disease · virus outrun
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.