virus

Noun

• a software program capable of reproducing itself and usually capable of causing great harm to files or other programs on the same computer
  • a true virus cannot spread to another computer without human assistance
    

• a harmful or corrupting agency
  • bigotry is a virus that must not be allowed to spread
    
  • the virus of jealousy is latent in everyone
    

• (virology) ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts; many are pathogenic; a piece of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) wrapped in a thin coat of protein