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View synonyms for contagion

contagion

[ kuhn-tey-juhn ]

noun

  1. the communication of disease by direct or indirect contact.
  2. a disease so communicated.
  3. the medium by which a contagious disease is transmitted.
  4. harmful or undesirable contact or influence.
  5. the ready transmission or spread as of an idea or emotion from person to person:

    a contagion of fear.



contagion

/ kənˈteɪdʒən /

noun

  1. the transmission of disease from one person to another by direct or indirect contact
  2. a contagious disease
  3. another name for contagium
  4. a corrupting or harmful influence that tends to spread; pollutant
  5. the spreading of an emotional or mental state among a number of people

    the contagion of mirth



contagion

/ kən-tājən /

  1. The transmission of an infectious disease resulting from direct or indirect contact between individuals or animals.
  2. A disease that is transmitted in this way.
  3. The agent that causes a contagious disease, such as a bacterium or a virus.


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Other Words From

  • con·tagioned adjective
  • noncon·tagion noun

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Word History and Origins

Origin of contagion1

1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin contāgiōn- (stem of contāgiō ) contact, infection, equivalent to con- con- + tāg- (variant stem of tangere to touch) + -iōn- -ion; contact

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Word History and Origins

Origin of contagion1

C14: from Latin contāgiō a touching, infection, from contingere; see contact

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Example Sentences

Standard vaccine studies involve thousands of participants, must recruit in areas where contagion is naturally high, and typically take months or even years as researchers wait to see how many people contract the disease.

From Quartz

Facing flare-ups from late June through August that were sometimes higher than the initial spread of contagion, countries initially refrained from blanket orders.

From Fortune

The World Health Organization acknowledged the airborne spread of particles in July and hundreds of scientists have written about this form of contagion.

From Quartz

Hungary’s decision to close its borders is based on its own “traffic light system” for contagion risk, which currently shows Hungary as green and everyone else as red.

From Fortune

There are a lot of upsides to urban density — but viral contagion is not one of them.

In addition, the protests had been largely contained to very specific areas and the fear of contagion never materialized.

As scary as contagion can seem, nobody should be panicking, no matter which virus happens to be making the headlines.

Further, the contagion effect of suicide and the resultant attention to it is a well-documented phenomenon.

But although desire cannot be imparted by argument, it can be by contagion.

In fact, we have been inoculated from the experience of contagion.

It may be transmitted through the air for short distances, not nearly so far as the air will carry the contagion of smallpox.

The contagion is spread just as that of smallpox is spread, except that it is not carried through the air so far.

The specific cause of typhus is unknown, but the contagion develops and reproduces itself in the body of the patient.

Curiously enough, for the next two days and nights a perfect contagion of watching seemed to have spread through the village.

Wedding-cards have been pouring in till the contagion has reached us; Edith will be married next Thursday.

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