LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neutersecond declension

vīrus1

vīrus n sg (genitive vīrī)
Classical[ˈwiː.rʊs]Ecclesiastical[ˈviː.rus]

Meaning

  1. venom (a poisonous substance secreted by animals or plants)
  2. a plant- or animal-sourced substance with medicinal or magical properties
  3. a liquid element that makes something taste or smell bitter or acrid
  4. bitterness, acrimony (of speech, manner or disposition)
  5. New Latina virus (infectious organism)

Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms

Toxicum · Venenum · Virus

Toxicum (from taxus) denotes poison, as a mere term in natural history, without accessory reference; venenum, as an artificial poison, of a sweet and tempting flavor; virus (εἶαρ, ἰός), as a noxious and distasteful juice or drink. Liv. ii. 52. Tribuni plebem agitare suo veneno, agraria lege; comp. with Cic. Læl. 23. Evomat virus acerbitatis suæ. (v. 355.)

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativevīrusvīra
genitivevīrīvīrōrum
dativevīrōvīrīs
accusativevīrusvīra
ablativevīrōvīrīs
vocativevīrusvīra

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

virus acerbitatis suae effundere in aliquem (De Amic. 23. 87)
to vent one's anger, spite on some one.

vīrus, i, n. Sanscr. visham; Gr. ἰός, poison,
I. a slimy liquid, slime.
I. In gen., of animals and plants, Verg. G. 3, 281; Col. 2, 14, 3; Plin. 19, 5, 27, § 89; 30, 6, 15, § 45; Stat. S. 1, 4, 104.—Of animal sperm or semen, Plin. 9, 50, 74, § 157.—
II. In partic., in a bad sense.
A. A poisonous liquid, poison, venom, virus (syn. venenum).
1. Lit., Cic. Arat. 432; Verg. G. 1, 129; 3, 419; Ov. Tr. 3, 10, 64; Plin. 34, 17, 48, § 160: amatorium, id. 8, 22, 34, § 83.—
2. Trop.: evomere virus acerbitatis suae, Cic. Lael. 23, 87: futile virus linguae, Sil. 11, 560: mentis, id. 9, 476; Mart. 13, 2, 8.—
B. An offensive odor, stench, Lucr. 2, 853; Col. 1, 5, 6; Plin. 11, 53, 115, § 277; 27, 12, 83, § 107; 35, 15, 52, § 185: odoris, an offensive pungency, id. 28, 3, 6, § 31; 28, 7, 23, § 79.—
C. A sharp, saline taste; of sea-water, Lucr. 2, 476; 5, 269; 6, 635.—Of wine, Plin. 14, 20, 25, § 124.

Origins

Via rhotacism from Proto-Italic *weizos, from Proto-Indo-European *wisós (“fluidity, slime, poison”). Cognates include Sanskrit विष (viṣá), Ancient Greek ἰός (iós, “poison”), Tocharian B wase, and Middle Irish fí. The neuter gender, despite its nominative singular ending -us being typical of the masculine second declension, is possibly a relic of this term's inheritance from a neuter s-stem.

Descendants
  • Catalanvirus
  • Englishvirus
  • Frenchvirus
  • GermanVirus
  • Italianvirus
  • Portuguesevírus
  • Romanianvirus
  • Spanishvirus
  • Albanianvirus
  • Hijazi Arabicڤَيْرُوسfrom Arabic فَيْرُوس
proper noun · masculinesecond declension
Virus2
Virus m sg (genitive Virī)

Meaning

  1. masculinesingulara river in Hispania Tarraconensis, now the Anllóns

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeVirus—
genitiveVirī—
dativeVirō—
accusativeVirum—
ablativeVirō—
vocativeVire—

Quick answers

What does vīrus mean in Latin?
vīrus, a noun, means “venom (a poisonous substance secreted by animals or plants); a plant- or animal-sourced substance with medicinal or magical properties; a liquid element that makes something taste or smell bitter or acrid”.
What is the genitive of vīrus?
The genitive singular is vīrī. vīrus is neuter, second declension.
How do you pronounce vīrus?
In classical Latin, [ˈwiː.rʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈviː.rus].