Virus

See also: virus, virüs, vírus, vīrus, vīruss, and -virus

Translingual

Etymology

Latin virus (“venom or poison”).

Wikispecies

Proper noun

Virus n

1. The taxonomic kingdom made up of the viruses, submicroscopic non-cellular structures consisting of a core of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat, that require a living host cell to replicate, and often cause disease in the host.

Usage notes

• Virus is the only taxon in this kingdom that is not italicized, in contrast to the practice in other kingdoms, in which only taxa at the rank of genus and below are italicized.

Hyponyms

ICTV taxonomy (2019)

• Duplodnaviria, Monodnaviria, Riboviria, Varidnaviria - realms

ICTV taxonomy

• (kingdom): Caudovirales; Herpesvirales; Ligamenvirales; Mononegavirales; Nidovirales; Picornavirales; Tymovirales - orders

• • Adenoviridae, Ampullaviridae; Arenaviridae; Ascoviridae; Asfarviridae; Astroviridae; Avsunviroidae; Baculoviridae; Barnaviridae; Birnaviridae; Bromoviridae; Bunyaviridae; Caliciviridae; Caulimoviridae; Chrysoviridae; Circoviridae; Closteroviridae; Corticoviridae; Cystoviridae; Endornaviridae; Flaviviridae; Flexiviridae; Fuselloviridae; Geminiviridae; Globuloviridae; Guttaviridae; Hepadnaviridae; Hypoviridae; Inoviridae; Iridoviridae; Leviviridae; Luteoviridae; Metaviridae; Microviridae; Mimiviridae; Nanoviridae; Narnaviridae; Nimaviridae; Nodaviridae; Ophioviridae; Orthomyxoviridae; Papillomaviridae; Partitiviridae; Parvoviridae; Phycodnaviridae; Picobirnaviridae; Plasmaviridae; Polydnaviridae; Polyomaviridae; Pospiviroidae; Potyviridae; Poxviridae; Pseudoviridae; Reoviridae; Retroviridae; Tectiviridae; Tetraviridae; Togaviridae; Tombusviridae; Totiviridae - unassigned families

• • Bacilladnavirus; Cilevirus; Deltavirus; Dinodnavirus; Emaravirus; Higrevirus; Idaeovirus; Ourmiavirus; Polemovirus; Rhizidiovirus; Salterprovirus; Sobemovirus; Tenuivirus; Umbravirus; Varicosavirus - unassigned genera

Baltimore genome-based classification

• I dsDNA virus; II ssDNA virus; III dsRNA virus; IV (+)ssRNA virus; V (-)ssRNA virus; VI ssRNA-RT virus; VII dsDNA-RT virus - groups

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vīrus n.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈviːʁʊs/

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: Vi‧rus

Noun

Virus n or m (strong, genitive Virus, plural Viren or (taxonomic rank) Vira or (nonstandard) Virusse)

1. virus
   • 1932, Ergebnisse der gesamten Medizin, Band 17, Urban & Schwarzenberg, page 132:

     Völlig verfehlt ist die Vorstellung, als ob die Virusse nichts anderes wären als ganz kleine Bakterien oder kleinste, uns bisher nicht sichtbare Formen dieser Lebewesen.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1940, Eugen Haagen, “4. Viruskrankheiten”, in Hans Reiter, Bernhard Möllers, editors, Carl Flügges Grundriss der Hygiene für studierende und praktische Ärzte[,] Medizinal- und Verwaltungsbeamte. Elfte Auflage, Berlin: Verlag von Julius Springer, page 792:

     Die Vira stellen eine wichtige Gruppe von Krankheitserregern dar, die im System der Mirkoorganismen eine besondere Stellung einnehmen.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. (computing) computer virus

   Synonym: Computervirus

   Coordinate term: Trojaner

   • 2012, Alois Potton, Abgründe der Informatik: Geheimnisse und Gemeinheiten, Springer-Verlag, →ISBN, page 117:

     Eigentlich war der Virus sogar recht angenehm, denn wenn ich eine Sache aus Faulheit liegengelassen hatte, dann habe ich dringliche Mahnungen gern damit abgewimmelt, dass durch ILOVEYOU leider die betreffenden Dateien zerstört […]

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Usage notes

• The plural Vira is used with neuter gender.
• Regardless of gender, the regular plural form is Viren. Vira specifically refers to the taxonomic rank, Virusse is nonstandard.

Declension

Declension of Virus [neuter // masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	das, der	Virus	die	Viren, Vira1, Virusse2
genitive	eines	des	Virus	der	Viren, Vira1, Virusse2
dative	einem	dem	Virus	den	Viren, Vira1, Virussen2
accusative	ein, einen	das, den	Virus	die	Viren, Vira1, Virusse2

¹Taxonomic rank.
²Nonstandard.

Related terms

(biology):

• Viruserkrankung, Virusinfektion, Virusträger, Virusübertragung
• Coronavirus, Grippevirus, Herpesvirus, HIV, Influenzavirus, Pockenvirus, Retrovirus, SARS-Virus, Tollwutvirus

(computing):

• Virenscanner

Further reading

• “Virus” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Virus” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
• “Virus” in Duden online

Latin

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

View of the river

Proper noun

Virus m sg (genitive Virī); second declension

1. A river in Hispania Tarraconensis, now the Anllóns

Declension

Second-declension noun, singular only.

Case	Singular
Nominative	Virus
Genitive	Virī
Dative	Virō
Accusative	Virum
Ablative	Virō
Vocative	Vire

References

• “Virus”, in William Smith, editor (1854, 1857), A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography, volume 1 & 2, London: Walton and Maberly