Re: Macs don't have viruses?

From: Alan J Rosenthal (flaps_at_dgp.toronto.edu)
Date: 09/26/03 

Date: 26 Sep 2003 16:34:08 GMT

"KRF" <nobody@nono.com> writes:
>Websters International
>Main Entry: vi·rus
...
>Plural: virii

That's not a citation. What dictionary is that? There are a million
dictionaries named "Webster's" -- it's been deemed to be generic.

Merriam-Webster, the apparently-most-legitimate successor to Noah Webster's
dictionary, strangely does not list a plural at all, at least in their
on-line version at http://www.m-w.com

Noah Webster wrote "vi-rus n., pl. -rus-es." (that would be 1806 or 1828)

AHD4 also agrees. So does the OED2.
(And that's the list of the dictionaries I routinely search from my computer,
and finding universal agreement, I'll stop.)

So, cite, please. I'm particularly sceptical that a dictionary editor would
spell "Webster's" without the apostrophe.

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