Malware
Etymology
A blend of "malicious" (from Latin "malus," bad or evil) and "software." The word arose in the 1990s as the family of hostile programs outgrew the single label "virus," which strictly means only self-replicating code. Malware became the catch-all for anything built with harmful intent, regardless of how it spreads.
noun · /MAL-wair/
Any software written to damage, disrupt, or secretly gain access to a computer.
What it names
The whole hostile category — viruses, spyware, worms, and more — under one honest umbrella term.
Example
The free download turned out to carry malware that logged every keystroke.
Related idea
Malware is the umbrella; a virus is just one type that copies itself into other files, while ransomware, spyware, and worms are distinct branches with different aims and behaviors.