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viral

Etymology and origin of the English word viral

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1937

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈvaɪɹəl/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from New Latin virus (see virus) and -al.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or caused by a virus: 1937 in MWU, 1944 in Etymonline, 1948 in the OED.[3][2][4]

Semantic evolution

Virally is from 1968.[4] The sense of spreading quickly and widely among Internet users is attested by 1999, first in marketing, after the way a computer virus spreads.[2][5] To go viral and the noun, a video or story that spreads in this way, are later still.[5]

Timeline

  • 1937 – of a virus.[3]
  • 1968 – virally.[4]
  • 1999 – spread on the Internet.[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Of, relating to or caused by a virus.
  2. Of a video, image or story, spreading quickly among Internet users: to go viral.

Noun

  1. A video or story that spreads quickly on the Internet.

Word family

  • virally
  • antiviral
  • subviral

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
Cite this entry

“Viral.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/viral. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·