[pmmail-list] Pendatic but Wrong!

[Simon Bowring]

On Mon, 5 May 2003 21:07:18 +1000, Günter Minnerup wrote:

>How can PMM transmit virii (whatever they are: the correct pedantic
>plural is viri)?
If you're going to be pedantic, you should make sure you're
also correct! ;-)

"Viri" does occur in latin, but only as the genative *singular* of 
"virus" (poison/venom) or the nominitive plural of "vir" (man).
"Virii" doesn't exist at all in latin, but it id did, it would be 
the plural (of the non-existent latin word) "virius" (not of "virus"!

The OED, Birchfield (Fowler's) Modern English Usage (3rd Edition), 
the Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, all agree on 
"Viruses" as the legimate plural form, and this is backed up by 
the lack of any plural in classical sources (it's already a 
plural mass noun)

See http://www.perl.com/language/misc/virus.html for more!

Simon
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