'virucidal' originates from Neo-Latin, specifically from the element 'virus' and the suffix '-cidal' (from Latin 'caedere'), where 'virus' meant 'poison/virus' and '-cidal' meant 'to kill'.

'virucidal' was formed in modern scientific usage from Neo-Latin elements (e.g. 'virucida/virucidus') and entered English in the 19th–20th century as a technical adjective meaning 'able to kill viruses'.

Initially coined to denote substances that destroy or inactivate viruses, the meaning has remained essentially the same and is used in medical and disinfectant contexts to indicate virus-killing activity.