French word

virus

Pronunciation

IPA/viʁys/

Meaning

  • masculine nounvirus

Example

Il faut se protéger contre le virus.

We need to protect ourselves against the virus.

Illustration for virus (virus)

More examples

Un virus peut provoquer de la fièvre et de la toux.

A virus can cause fever and coughing.

Core concept

A tiny replicating agent takes over a cell, while its digital counterpart copies itself across connected devices.

Common phrases

  • attraper un virus

    catch a virus

  • détecter un virus

    detect a virus

  • se protéger contre le virus

    protect oneself against the virus

Similar words

maladie: An illness or disorder that causes physical or mental symptoms.
infection: A condition in which microbes enter and multiply in the body, causing symptoms or distress.
bactérie: A single-celled microorganism that reproduces independently and may cause disease.
virus informatique: A malicious program that enters computers or networks, damages data, or disrupts operation.

Definition in French

Particule ou entité infectieuse invisible à l'œil nu qui utilise une cellule hôte pour se répliquer; par analogie, logiciel malveillant pouvant se propager d'un appareil à un autre.

Word origin

French adopted virus from Latin vīrus, meaning 'poison', with the modern biological sense established in nineteenth-century medicine and later extended to computing.

Usage tips

  • In French, attraper un virus commonly means catching an illness, while a computer is often described as être infecté par un virus.

Related words

  • viralviraladjective
  • virulentvirulentadjective
  • virulencevirulencenoun

Word lists with this word