Kevin
November 2, 2020
The Plural of...

The Plural of Virus: Here’s What It Is and How to Use It

Here is a brief explanation of how to use the word virus and the plural form of the word. Let’s go over the meaning of the noun virus, its plural form, the history and origin of the word, synonyms, examples of the word used in a sentence, and some more FAQ on the word virus as it relates to grammar. Next time you go to use the word virus you will be an expert.

What Is the Definition of the Word Virus

The word virus means:

Any of a large group of submicroscopic infectious agents that are usually regarded as nonliving extremely complex molecules, that typically contain a protein coat surrounding an RNA or DNA core of genetic material but no semipermeable membrane, that are capable of growth and multiplication only in living cells, and that cause various important diseases in humans, animals, and plants

A disease or illness caused by a virus

The causative agent of an infectious disease

Something that poisons the mind or soul

The force of this virus of prejudice — V. S. Waters

A computer virus that is usually disguised as an innocuous program or file, that often produces copies of itself and inserts them into other programs, and that when run usually performs a malicious action (such as destroying data or damaging software)

What Is the Correct Plural of Virus

Because the root language of the word is classical Latin, we have to first look at the gender of the word to see what the correct plural would be. The Latin word is a neutral/neuter noun so the Latin plural is vira. This follows the same rule seen with datum becoming data when it goes into its plural form according to Latin grammar and Latin dictionaries. In Latin virus has a few different endings after the root “vir” as it is a second declension noun: the genitive case virii, the dative and ablative case viro, and the nominative, accusative, and vocative “virus.” This noun ending indicates the nonexistence of plural forms except in special circumstances in neo-Latin. There are also cognates in Sanskrit and Ancient Greek.

Just like it is in other cases of English words derived from Latin nouns, there is also a more modern and in this case, more commonly used plural form. In English, we typically want to assume the English plural form of a word ends in s or es. Virus can become plural this way and is 100% grammatically correct when spelled “viruses”.

The History and Origin of the Word

When we go back and look for the origin of the word virus we can see that it was used all the back in 1599. It was used in a different way than we use it today, it was used to describe venom.

It comes from the Middle English language, it’s original definition was “pus, slime, discharge from a sore, semen”. It was originated, however, from the Latin root word vīrus (neuter) “venom, poisonous fluid, slimy liquid, acrid element in a substance, secretion with medical or magical properties”.

Examples of the Word in Context

In recent weeks, Johnson’s team has reversed policies on issues including school exam grading, the wearing of face coverings in shops and in schools, its contact-tracing program to contain the spread of the virus. — Emily Ashton, Bloomberg.com, “Johnson and Sunak Try to Reassure U.K. Tories Over Tax ‘Horror’,” 2 Sep. 2020

The bureau, which is home to over 127,000 federal offenders, took precautions in March to help curb the spread of the virus within the federal system’s 121 facilities. — Clare Hymes, CBS News, “Federal prisons will resume visitations in October,” 2 Sep. 2020

With schools closed as a result of Covid-19 restrictions in Nigeria which so far has more than 54,000 cases of the virus, Ajala’s students practice dance techniques six days a week. — Aisha Salaudeen, CNN, “How 11-year-old Nigerian boy went from dancing barefoot in the streets to viral ballet star,” 2 Sep. 2020

At first, these fears did not materialize, although the true extent of the virus’s reach remains difficult to measure in places with limited testing. — Washington Post, “Live updates: Fearing homelessness could worsen coronavirus crisis, Trump administration halts evictions,” 2 Sep. 2020

Her niece recovered, and no one else in the family showed signs of the virus, but the experience shook Aviles. — USA Today, “Why volunteer for a vaccine clinical trial? Duty, love and a willingness to experiment, participants say,” 2 Sep. 2020

As the state convened myriad task forces in the early days of the pandemic to manage different impacts of the virus, the Legislature created another. — Taylor Stevens, The Salt Lake Tribune, “Spencer Cox reemerges in leading role of state’s pandemic response,” 2 Sep. 2020

Illinois will put new restrictions in place for the Metro East area on Wednesday as the region’s COVID-19 positivity rate continues to increase despite additional measures put in place to reduce the spread of the virus. — Brett Rowland, Washington Examiner, “Illinois puts new restrictions in place for Metro East area as positivity rate continues to rise,” 2 Sep. 2020

Six months into the Covid-19 pandemic, the U.S. has now carried out two large-scale experiments in public health—first, in March and April, the lockdown of the economy to arrest the spread of the virus, and second, since mid-April, the reopening… — James Freeman, WSJ, “Conscientious Objectors in the ‘War’ on Covid?,” 2 Sep. 2020

The Plural of Virus: Here’s What It Is and How to Use It

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