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   virus

   /ˈvʌɪrəs/

   noun

   • 1. an infective agent that typically consists of a nucleic acid molecule in a protein coat, is too small to be seen by light microscopy, and is able to multiply only within the living cells of a host: "the hepatitis B virus"
   • ▪ an infection or disease caused by a virus: "I've had a virus"
   • ▪ a harmful or corrupting influence: "the virus of cruelty that is latent in all human beings"
   • 2. a piece of code that is capable of copying itself and typically has a detrimental effect, such as corrupting the system or destroying data.

   Word Origin late Middle English (denoting the venom of a snake): from Latin, literally ‘slimy liquid, poison’. The earlier medical sense, superseded by the current use as a result of improved scientific understanding, was ‘a substance produced in the body as the result of disease, especially one capable of infecting others’.

   Scrabble Points: 8

   • V

     4

   • I

     1

   • R

     1

   • U

     1

   • S

     1

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