Antiviruses

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Software designed to prevent, detect, and remove malicious software from computer systems and networks
2. protective applications that safeguard computers against viruses and other harmful programs
3. tools that monitor system behavior to identify and neutralize threats to digital security

Etymology: "Antiviruses" is simply the plural of "antivirus," and the noun it pluralises is a compound of two very old pieces. The first, "anti-," comes from Ancient Greek "anti," meaning "against" or "opposite," which entered English as a prefix. The second, "virus," is a Latin word meaning "poison" or "slimy liquid," and it reached English through Middle English in its older sense of a poisonous or harmful substance. The compound itself is modern. Its meaning, "software designed to counter malware," is built directly from those two parts: a "virus" in the computing sense was borrowed by analogy from the biological term, and "anti-" places the software against it. Plural forms such as "antiviruses" follow the regular English pattern for nouns ending in "-us," though "antivirus programs" is also common in everyday use.

Synonyms: antiviral agents, antiviral drugs, antiviral medications