hypervirulent

adjective

hy·​per·​vir·​u·​lent ˌhī-pər-ˈvir-ə-lənt How to pronounce hypervirulent (audio)
-ˈvir-yə-
variants or hyper-virulent
: extremely or unusually virulent
hypervirulent strains of the bacteria
hypervirulence noun
or hyper-virulence
hypervirulence of novel clostridial strains

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hypervirulent was in 1926

Dictionary Entries Near hypervirulent

Cite this Entry

“Hypervirulent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypervirulent. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!