Contagions

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An influence or effect that spreads from one person to another, typically in the context of disease transmission
2. A variety of infectious agents that can be transmitted to cause illness in others
3. The concept of spreading behaviors or emotions from one individual to a group, often likened to the transmission of a virus

Etymology: "Contagions" is the plural of "contagion," so it is the same word counted in more than one: a range of disease-causing agents rather than a single one. The singular has a more physical past, since Latin "contāgiō" meant a touching or contact, and it derives from "contingō," meaning to touch closely. The root image of two things making contact is what the word carried into English. The word reached English in the late 14th century, borrowed through Old French from that Latin noun. For centuries its sense stayed close to the idea of touch, with illness spreading by proximity: a disease passed from one body to another simply by being near it or handling it. The idea of the transmitting agent came later as the notion of germs took shape.

Synonyms: infections, diseases, viruses

Antonyms: health, immunity