Definitions
infectious; having the ability to cause disease
Word origin
From Middle English virulent (“leaking or seeping pus, purulent; (of putrefaction) extremely severe (sense uncertain)”) [and other forms], borrowed from Latin vīrulentus (“poisonous”), from vīrus (“poison; venom; slime, slimy liquid; stinking smell; nasty taste”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wisós (“poison; slime; fluidity”)) + -ulentus (suffix meaning ‘abounding in, full of’, forming adjectives).
Used in a sentence
“The politicians were virulent in their hatred of the president.”
“More venemous and much more virulent / Then any poyſoned tode, or any ſerpent.”
“They were targeted by a virulent strain of nativism toward those from Southern and Eastern Europe that was largely about race.”
Source: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0
Used as a crossword answer1 curated clues
01“Highly infectious”8 letters
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