Viricide

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A compound that effectively eliminates viruses and blocks their ability to infect cells
2. An agent capable of destroying viral entities while preventing further transmission and replication
3. A chemical or agent that destroys viruses and prevents their activity

Etymology: The word is a modern coinage built from two pieces that have travelled very different routes. The first, "virus," comes from Latin, where it meant a poisonous liquid or slime, and it reached English in the Middle Ages with that same sense of poison. The second, "-icide," is a suffix from Latin "-cida," meaning a killer, the element that appears in words like "homicide" and "pesticide." Put together, "viricide" describes an agent that kills viruses. Because it is a newly assembled term, its meaning is transparent: it names something that destroys the virus, rather than something that carries or causes disease. The word is plainly a deliberate compound rather than an inherited term, and its sense follows directly from the two parts it joins.

Synonyms: antiviral, virus killer