contagion
NounOpen English WordNet
Noun (3)
- any disease easily transmitted by contactSynonyms: contagious diseaseType of communicable diseaseKinds influenza, coronavirus disease, diphtheria, scarlet fever, pox, Vincent's angina, venereal disease, measles
- an incident in which an infectious disease is transmittedSynonyms: infectiontransmissionType of incident
- the communication of an attitude or emotional state among a number of people“a contagion of mirth”“the infection of his enthusiasm for poetry”Synonyms: infectionType of communication
What does it mean? Question 1 of today’s quiz
Webster's Dictionary (1913)
Origin: L. contagio: cf. F. contagion. See Contact.
1. Medicine The transmission of a disease from one person to another, by direct or indirect contact.
☞ The term has been applied by some to the action of miasmata arising from dead animal or vegetable matter, bogs, fens, etc., but in this sense it is now abandoned. Dunglison, Robley
And will he steal out of his wholesome bed To dare the vile contagion of the night?— William Shakespeare
2. That which serves as a medium or agency to transmit disease; a virus produced by, or exhalation proceeding from, a diseased person, and capable of reproducing the disease.
3. The act or means of communicating any influence to the mind or heart; as, the contagion of enthusiasm. “The contagion of example.” Portraiture of Charles I.
When lust... Lets in defilement to the inward parts, The soul grows clotted by contagion.— John Milton
4. Venom; poison. obsolete “I'll touch my point with this contagion.” William Shakespeare
Synonyms: See Infection.
Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54