Plural of the word "Virus" ???

[David LoPan]

What is the correct plural for this word?

In biology and chemistry I was always taught Virii or Vira as the plural from my professors, but I hear commercials saying "viruses"

anyone know the correct plural for this word, it's driving me crazy...

[diebitter]

viruses or viri is fine

Like hippopotamus - muses or mi both acceptable.

[Brom]

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=virus

[challenger84]

vi·rus Audio pronunciation of "virus" ( P ) Pronunciation Key (vrs)
n. pl. vi·rus·es



That was tough.

[yvesaint]

IS THE PLURAL OF SQUASH SQUII OR SQUI???

[henrikrh]

Diebitter, you can call them hippopotami?

That's the coolest word ever!

[diebitter]

[ QUOTE ]
Diebitter, you can call them hippopotami?

That's the coolest word ever!

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, they can be called that. And plural of octopus can be octopi


You guys just tawk funny.


The Hippopotamus Song

A bold hippopotamus was standing one day
On the banks of the cool Shalimar
He gazed at the bottom as he peacefully lay
By the light of the evening star
Away on the hilltop sat combing her hair
His fair hippopotami maid
The hippopotamus was no ignoramus
And sang her this sweet serenade

Chorus:
Mud, mud, glorious mud
Nothing quite like it for cooling the blood
So follow me follow, down to the hollow
And there let me wallow in glorious mud
The fair hippopotama he aimed to entice
From her seat on that hilltop above
As she hadn't got a ma to give her advice
Came tiptoeing down to her love
Like thunder the forest re-echoed the sound
Of the song that they sang when they met
His inamorata adjusted her garter
And lifted her voice in duet

Now more hippopotami began to convene
On the banks of that river so wide
I wonder now what am I to say of the scene
That ensued by the Shalimar side
They dived all at once with an ear-splitting sposh
Then rose to the surface again
A regular army of hippopotami
All singing this haunting refrain

Chorus

[yvesaint]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Diebitter, you can call them hippopotami?

That's the coolest word ever!

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, they can be called that. And plural of octopus can be octopi


You guys just tawk funny.

[/ QUOTE ]

DONT YOU MEAN YOU GI????

[Performify]

Its indeed viruses. The official convention for forming the plural of Latin words in English is to use the Latin plural form, or, if Latin does not actually have a plural form for the word, to form the plural according to normal English rules.

virus falls in to the latter category, not having a latin plural form.

Ignoramus is the commonly given example: plural is ignoramuses and not ignorami [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] But others work: Jesus, nexus, prospectus even coitus all plural to -es.

For the record, viri is latin for "men", the plural of vir (man, singular).

[diebitter]

Well, my bad. As those old Romans might have said, 'virescit vulnere virtus'.