outbreak of a new virus
- noun
:
brote de un nuevo virus
- Scientists are studying the outbreak of a new virus to understand its transmission and effects on the population.
Examples
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During the outbreak of a new virus, many people were advised to stay indoors to prevent infection.
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The outbreak of a new virus led to widespread panic as health officials scrambled to find a solution.
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The outbreak of a new virus strain that is causing the infected to--
Synonyms
188
3.5
A sudden start of disease or violence that affects many people
Affecting many people in the same area at the same time
Antonyms
How Widespread
Surface Forms
Morphology
outbreak + of + a + new + virus
The phrase is fully compositional: 'outbreak' means a sudden emergence and combined with 'of a new virus' specifies what emerges, so the overall sense is directly derivable from the known constituents. This noun + prepositional phrase pattern is common across languages and follows regular English composition, so a B1 learner who knows the words would understand it.
Etymology
Outbreak of a new virus uses the word outbreak, which brings to mind something 'breaking out' from where it belongs, like a fire jumping a fence or prisoners 'breaking out'. Picture the virus escaping and 'spreading quickly', so the phrase means a sudden appearance of a disease.