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

• (kingdom): Caudovirales; Herpesvirales; Ligamenvirales; Mononegavirales; Nidovirales; Picornavirales; Tymovirales - orders
  • Adenoviridae, Ampullaviridae; Arenaviridae; Ascoviridae; Asfarviridae; Astroviridae; ; Baculoviridae; Barnaviridae; Birnaviridae; Bromoviridae; Bunyaviridae; Caliciviridae; Caulimoviridae; Chrysoviridae; Circoviridae; Closteroviridae; Corticoviridae; Cystoviridae; Endornaviridae; Flaviviridae; ; 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; ; Potyviridae; Poxviridae; Pseudoviridae; Reoviridae; Retroviridae; Tectiviridae; ; Togaviridae; Tombusviridae; Totiviridae - unassigned families
  • ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; 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

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German

Etymology

From Latin vīrus n. Masculine gender comes from misunderstanding of Latin plurals on -us.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

Virus n or m (plural Viren or Vira or Virusse)

1. virus
   • 1932, Ergebnisse der gesamten Medizin, Band 17, Urban & Schwarzenberg, p.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.

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

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

Usage notes

• The masculine gender is colloquial, and the plural Vira is only used with neuter gender.

Further reading

• “Virus” in Duden online

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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