virology

noun

vi·​rol·​o·​gy vī-ˈrä-lə-jē How to pronounce virology (audio)
: a branch of science that deals with viruses and viral diseases
virological adjective
or virologic
virologically adverb
virologist noun

Examples of virology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web By then, Covid had arrived — and with it, questions that would drastically alter the political climate around virology research. Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2023 Gilead Sciences posted better-than-expected top- and bottom-line results in the latest quarter, which the company credited to its virology and oncology segments. Denny Jacob, WSJ, 7 Nov. 2023 In July, National Nurses United delivered a petition to Dr. Mandy Cohen, the C.D.C. director, that was signed by hundreds of experts in health care, virology and infection control, and dozens of unions and public health organizations. Apoorva Mandavilli, New York Times, 23 Sep. 2023 In a surprise move, the new chief scientist at the World Health Organization backed a fact-finding mission to China despite his own doubts that COVID-19 escaped from an institute for virology in Wuhan. Bychristiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2023 Throughout 2020 and 2021, scientists with deep expertise in relevant fields, especially molecular evolutionary virology, veterinary virology and molecular phylogenetics (the drawing of family trees by comparison of genomes), were busy too. David Quammen, New York Times, 25 July 2023 Pandemics are rare occurrences; fewer than a handful have happened in the age of modern virology, when laboratories could provide detailed knowledge of what was causing the illness and how that pathogen was evolving. Helen Branswell, STAT, 27 Dec. 2022 Also in 2004, just a year after the global SARS scare, two workers at a virology lab in Beijing were independently infected with that virus, which spread to nine people in total, one of whom died. David Quammen, New York Times, 25 July 2023 Hotez is a professor of pediatrics and molecular virology at Baylor College of Medicine and the co-director for the Center for Vaccine Development at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston. Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 19 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'virology.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

vir(us) + -o- + -logy

First Known Use

circa 1935, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of virology was circa 1935

Dictionary Entries Near virology

Cite this Entry

“Virology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/virology. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

virology

noun
vi·​rol·​o·​gy vī-ˈräl-ə-jē How to pronounce virology (audio)
: a branch of science concerned with viruses and diseases caused by viruses
virologist noun

Medical Definition

virology

noun
vi·​rol·​o·​gy vī-ˈräl-ə-jē How to pronounce virology (audio)
plural virologies
: a branch of science that deals with viruses

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