viral English · revision 8034

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=derivation|attested=1937}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /ˈvaɪɹəl/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is formed from New Latin virus (see [[virus]]) and -al.^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ Of or caused by a virus: 1937 in MWU, 1944 in Etymonline, 1948 in the OED.^(MWU 2024)^(Etymonline)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ ''Virally'' is from 1968.^(OED 1989) The sense of spreading quickly and widely among Internet users is attested by 1999, first in marketing, after the way a computer virus spreads.^(Etymonline)^(Collins 2023) ''To go viral'' and the noun, a video or story that spreads in this way, are later still.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1937 – of a virus.^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1968 – virally.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1999 – spread on the Internet.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Of, relating to or caused by a [[virus]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # Of a video, image or story, spreading quickly among [[Internet]] users: ''to go viral''.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # A video or story that spreads quickly on the Internet.^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[virally]]

+ * [[antiviral]]

+ * [[subviral]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[virus]]

+ * [[virulent]]

+ * [[virology]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}