[Klug-general] Virii?

[Philippe Yates]

Mike Evans wrote:
> Philippe Yates wrote:
>>> Linux is only really more secure at the moment because there are no
>>> active Linux virii or Linux spyware.
>> Am I the only one to find using "virii" as a plural for virus bizarre?
>> In English it would be usual to write "viruses".
>
> I seem to remember from a BBC documentary from my teens (which is so
> long ago as to be almost incalculable) that Virus is already a Latin
> plural.  This leads non Latin scholars (like me) into the mire.
> (Although I would have thought that Philippe would have plenty of
> Latin scholars to hand.)
>
> The programme was called something like "Attack of the Virions". 
> Virus being plural, Virion or something like that being the singular
> in Latin.  Clearly even BBC pedantry was not enough to either educate
> or convince the masses.
>
> While we're at it the same is true of Octopus/Octopii:
>
> Pus = feet
> Pod = foot
>
> Octopus - English and Latin singular meaning 'eight feet' or 'eight
> footed'
> Octopuses - English plural
> Octopodes - Latin plural if I remember correctly.
>
> English is, however, a creole language and therefore grabs things from
> other languages and adapts them without regard to rules.  Unlike
> French, we have no equivalent of the Institut français. Fowler's
> Modern English usage is always an amusing read regardless of whether
> you fall into the pedant or rebel camp.
>
> Mike
>
>
>
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>
Now it's getting complicated, but here goes, I think it's worth it.

There is a difference between words that come from Greek and those that come from Latin.
Virus comes from Latin. Virus is a neuter noun meaning "slimy, poisonous liquid" and by extension "snake venom". The plural is "vira" in Latin.
Octopus, on the other hand, is a strange word. It comes from the Greek word for scorpions - oktopod = scorpion, oktopous = scorpions. In
classical Latin they use the Greek word "polypus" = (literally) "many feet", for the animal presumably because they knew that "octopus" would
mean "scorpions".

"Octopus" is a late Latin word for the animal (Greek k becomes Latin c and the o is dropped to give it a latin -us ending). When (probably
 medieval) Latin speakers adopted the Greek word "octopus" (and changed its meaning
in the process) they also gave it a Latin plural "octopi". So one can justifiably say "octopi" but not "virii".

Personally, I think it makes much more sense and is much simpler to use native plurals for words that we have brought into English and say
"octopuses" and "viruses". Then we don't have to know the etymology of a word in order to get its plural right. Otherwise we would have to say
"serafim" instead of "serafs" (Hebrew plural) etc.and goodness knows what the plural of bungalow (Hindi) should be!

So, to keep it simple, "viruses" gets my vote in this instance, although I would not object to "vira" for purists.

Fraternally,
Philippe

-- 

Br. Philippe Yates, OFM
Principal
Franciscan International Study Centre
Giles Lane
Canterbury CT2 7NA
England
Tel: +44 (0)1227 769349
Fax: +44 (0)1227 786648
email: philippe.y at franciscans.ac.uk
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