Relevance. Rating Newest Oldest. Best Answer: virus : first recorded in the English language in the late 14c., venomous substance, from Latin 'virus' meaning poison, sap of plants, slimy liquid, probably from Proto-Indo-European root 'weis-' meaning to melt away, to flow, used of foul or malodorous fluids (cf.he English word virus comes from the Latin virus, which means slime or poison: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/v...