Viral vector nomenclature

[Ian A. York]

In article <5cm33eF318dlkU2 from mid.individual.net>,
Kyle Legate  <legatek from hotmail.com> wrote:
>Tom Anderson wrote:
>>
>> What do you call those blobs?
>> 
>Attenuated viri.

You might conveivably call them attenuuated, but you wouldn't call them 
"viri" under any circumstances, since only illiterates (and, increasingly, 
computer techs -- but I repeat myself) use "viri" as the plural for 
"viruses".  "Virus" in Latin is a mass noun, and as such has no plural in 
Latin; as an English word it follows the usual English rule and uses the 
plural "viruses".  People who, either attempting to show off their 
non-existent Latin, or attempting to blindly follow a rule they don't 
understand, use "viri" as the plural are, if anything, using the plural or 
"vir" ("man"). 

I have nothing but pity for the poor pathetic wretches who use "virii", 
thus desperately attempting to use an incorrect rule to pluralize the 
non-existent word "virius".

Ian 
-- 
    Ian York   (iayork from panix.com)  <http://www.panix.com/~iayork/>
    "-but as he was a York, I am rather inclined to suppose him a
     very respectable Man." -Jane Austen, The History of England