Symbol Substitutions for Words

[rymrytr]

I know that some languages are symbol based, or we have perverted their alphabets to our use as symbols. In the Greek where we use certain letters as substitutes for whole-word concepts in English... but what I'm looking for now, is any symbol, either in an actual language or in accepted scientific, medical, computer or other symbol substitute for these three words: "virus", "life", "death".

If this isn't really proper here, just ignore me. It's not that important of a question.

Thanks.