Virus1. (v. i.) Contagious or poisonous matter, as of specific ulcers, the bite of snakes, etc.; -- applied to organic poisons.
2. (n.) 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.
3. (v. i.) Fig.: Any morbid corrupting quality in intellectual or moral conditions; something that poisons the mind or the soul; as, the virus of obscene books.
Thesaurus Entries
acaricide, adenovirus, aerial infection, aerobe, aerobic bacteria, aerobic organism, airborne infection, amoeba, anaerobe, anaerobic bacteria, anaerobic organism, anthelmintic, antibiotic, antiseptic, autotrophic organism, bacillus, bacteria, bacterium, bane, being, bug, bug bomb, carbamate insecticide, carrier, chemosterilant, chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide, coccus, communicability, contact poison, contagion, contagiousness, contamination, corruption, creature, cryptogenic infection, defoliant, direct infection, disease-producing microorganism, disinfectant, droplet infection, dust infection, echovirus, enterovirus, epidemiology, eradicant, filterable virus, fumigant, fungicide, fungus, genetic individual, germ, germicide, gram-negative bacteria, gram-positive bacteria, hand infection, herbicide, heterotrophic organism, indirect infection, individual, infection, infectiousness, insect powder, insecticide, living being, living thing, microbe, microbicide, microorganism, miticide, mold, morphological individual, nonfilterable virus, ont, organic being, organic chlorine, organic phosphate insecticide, organism, organization, pathogen, pesticide, physiological individual, phytogenic infection, picornavirus, poison, primary infection, protozoa, protozoon, pyogenic infection, rat poison, reovirus, rhinovirus, rickettsia, roach paste, roach powder, rodenticide, secondary infection, spirillum, spirochete, spore, staphylococcus, stomach poison, streptococcus, subclinical infection, systemic, systemic insecticide, taint, toxic, toxicant, toxin, trypanosome, vector, venin, venom, vermicide, vibrio, waterborne infection, weed killer, zoogenic infection, zooid, zoon