Virologic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Concerning the scientific discipline that investigates viruses, their properties, and interactions with biological systems
2. Relating to the field that explores the nature, behavior, and impact of viruses on hosts and environments
3. Pertaining to the scientific study focused on viruses and their biological effects

Etymology: Virologic is a straightforward formation: it takes "virology," the study of viruses, and adds the adjectival suffix "-ic," meaning "of or relating to." The result is a term for anything connected with viruses or their study, so a virologic test is one that detects or examines a virus. The root "virology" is built from "virus," borrowed into English from Latin, where it meant poison or slime, combined with the Greek-derived "-logy," meaning the study of something. Scientists used "virology" to name the discipline that studies these agents, and "virologic" followed the same pattern as other scientific adjectives such as "biologic" and "geologic."