virustatic
|vi-rus-stat-ic|
/ˌvaɪrəsˈtætɪk/
stop or inhibit viruses
Etymology
'virustatic' originates from modern English (coinage influenced by scientific Neo-Latin), specifically from the combination of 'virus' and the suffix '-static', where 'virus' comes from Latin 'virus' meaning 'poison' or 'venom' and the suffix element '-static' derives from Greek 'statikos' meaning 'causing to stand or stop'.
'virustatic' was formed in the 20th century by analogy with medical/ microbiological compounds such as 'bacteriostatic' (from 'bacterio-' + '-static'), and it entered technical usage to denote agents that halt or inhibit viral activity rather than destroy viruses outright.
Initially formed as a literal compound meaning 'that which stops or halts viruses', it has come to be used specifically in biomedical contexts to mean 'inhibiting viral replication or activity' (often contrasted with 'virucidal', which means 'killing viruses').
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a substance or agent that inhibits the growth or replication of viruses (i.e., a virustatic agent).
The laboratory evaluated several virustatics for potential therapeutic use.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
inhibiting the growth, replication, or activity of viruses; preventing viral reproduction without necessarily destroying the virus.
Researchers tested a virustatic compound that reduced viral replication in cell cultures.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/11/27 21:29