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Wordnet 3.0

VERB (4)

1. communicate a disease to;
- Example: "Your children have infected you with this head cold"

2. contaminate with a disease or microorganism;
[syn: infect, taint]

3. corrupt with ideas or an ideology;
- Example: "society was infected by racism"

4. affect in a contagious way;
- Example: "His laughter infects everyone who is in the same room"


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Infect \In*fect"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Infected; p. pr. & vb. n. Infecting.] [L. infectus, p. p. of inficere to put or dip into, to stain, infect; pref. in- in + facere to make; cf. F. infecter. See Fact.] [1913 Webster] 1. To taint with morbid matter or any pestilential or noxious substance or effluvium by which disease is produced; as, to infect a lancet; to infect an apartment. [1913 Webster] 2. To affect with infectious disease; to communicate infection to; as, infected with the plague. [1913 Webster] Them that were left alive being infected with this disease. --Sir T. North. [1913 Webster] 3. To communicate to or affect with, as qualities or emotions, esp. bad qualities; to corrupt; to contaminate; to taint by the communication of anything noxious or pernicious. --Cowper. [1913 Webster] Infected Ston's daughters with like heat. --Milton. [1913 Webster] 4. (Law) To contaminate with illegality or to expose to penalty. Syn: To poison; vitiate; pollute; defile. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Infect \In*fect"\, a. [L. infectus: cf. F. infect. See Infect, v. t.] Infected. Cf. Enfect. [Obs.] --Shak. [1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

infect v 1: communicate a disease to; "Your children have infected you with this head cold" 2: contaminate with a disease or microorganism [syn: infect, taint] [ant: disinfect] 3: corrupt with ideas or an ideology; "society was infected by racism" 4: affect in a contagious way; "His laughter infects everyone who is in the same room"