supervirus

English

Etymology

From super- +‎ virus.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

supervirus (plural superviruses)

1. A virus that is particularly powerful or resistant to treatment.
   • 1997, Maggie Ferguson, Fever rising:

     Dr. Ross's supervirus sounded a lot like the virus they had been dealing with.

   • 2005, Joshua David Bellin, Framing monsters: fantasy film and social alienation:

     Shortly thereafter, a supervirus destroys nearly all human life on earth, driving the few survivors underground.

   • 2008, Deirdre Day-MacLeod, Viruses and Spam:

     Even more amazing is the idea that the next supervirus could be created as easily by a high school student as it could by a computer scientist.

French

Etymology

From super- +‎ virus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sy.pɛʁ.vi.ʁys/

Noun

supervirus m (plural supervirus)

1. (virology) supervirus
   • 2011 December 7, Sandrine Cabut, “La création d'un supervirus fait polémique”, in Le Monde:

     Les chercheurs ont abouti au supervirus en effectuant quelques mutations sur des souches de virus H5N1, puis en les injectant à des furets, une espèce aussi sensible que l’homme aux virus grippaux.

     Researchers have created a supervirus by making mutations to the H5N1 strain and injecting them into ferrets, a species as susceptible as humans to the flu virus.