virulence

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“
When Victor Hugo, in the opening lines of Hernani_, ventured to refer to an 'escalier dérobé', and to put 'escalier' at the end of one line, and 'dérobé' at the beginning of the next, he was assailed with the kind of virulence which is usually reserved for the vilest of criminals.

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Definitions (5)

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  1. The quality of being virulent, or charged with virus. (adjective) The quality or property of being extremely acrimonious or poisonous: as, the virulence of the cobra's venom, Acrimony of temper; extreme bitterness or malignity; rancor. Among all sets of authors there are none who draw upon themselves more displeasure than those who deal in political matters—which indeed is very often too justly incurred, considering that spirit of rancour and virulence with which works of this nature generally abound. Addison, Freeholder, No. 40. The virulence theologians will display towards those who differ from them will depend chiefly on the degree in which the dogmatic side of their system is developed. Lecky, Rationalism, II. 39.
  2. Synonyms Poisonousness, venom, deadliness.
  3. Asperity, Harshness. See acrimony.

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Examples (50)

  • The old scenes of the time of Aguado were now renewed with tenfold virulence, and the old charges revived, with others still more extravagant. —  The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus (Vol. II)
  • Meanwhile commissaries had been appointed by Richelieu to proceed with the trial of the adherents of the Queen-mother and the Duc d'Orleans, and the first victims of his virulence were two physicians and astrologers accused of having, at the request of the royal exiles, drawn the horoscope of the King, and predicted the period of his death. —  The Life of Marie de Medicis, Vol. 3
  • "The complex lipids displayed by Mycobacterium tuberculosis are a big factor in its pathogenicity and virulence," Gokhale said. —  HHMI News
  • The role of cluster 3 in M. tuberculosis virulence is still to be defined; however, iron - and zinc-dependent expression strongly suggests that cluster 3 is highly expressed in the infective process, and that the cluster contributes to the antigenic profile during the course of infection. —  BioMed Central - Latest articles
  • Strain virulence was associated with a smaller genome. —  EurekAlert! - Breaking News
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Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (1)

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  1. from French virulence = Spanish Portuguese virulencia = Italian virulenza, from Late Latin virulentia, an offensive odor, from Latin virulentus, full of poison: see virulent.
 

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/ˈvɪruləns/
by Grant Barrett

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