avirulent

American

[ey-vir-yuh-luhnt, ey-vir-uh-] / eɪˈvɪr yə lənt, eɪˈvɪr ə- /

adjective

(of organisms) having no virulence, as a result of age, heat, etc.; nonpathogenic.

avirulent British

/ æˈvɪrʊlənt /

adjective

(esp of bacteria) not virulent

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

avirulence

noun

Etymology

Origin of avirulent

First recorded in 1895–1900; a- ⁶ + virulent

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"This doesn't make it an absolutely avirulent infection, but it does show that broadly, there are differences in infection based on the viral genotype the bees are infected with."

From Science Daily • Nov. 14, 2023

“Smallpox goes from what we think is actually a very avirulent form, to repeated gene inactivation to really damn nasty until we eradicate it,” Poinar says.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 15, 2022

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023