Infection

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɪnˈfɛkʃən/

Definitions

1. A condition in which harmful microorganisms invade and multiply within body tissues, causing illness or disease
2. A pathological condition resulting from the invasion of harmful microorganisms in the body, which can lead to symptoms and further health complications
3. A state marked by the presence and growth of pathogenic microbes in the body that disrupt normal function and may lead to illness or disease

Etymology: The noun "infection" is built on a verb that once meant something quite physical: to infect was to dip, stain or steep something in a substance, and the Latin "inficere" meant to put something into or work it in, as in dyeing cloth or mixing a poison into food. The sense of spreading disease came later, as the metaphorical idea of a harmful substance working its way into a body took hold. The noun reached English through Old French "infection," which descends from Late Latin "infectio," a noun formed from the same root. The word is therefore a straightforward compound of "infect" and the suffix "-ion," which turns a verb into a noun for an action or its result, so an infection is literally the act or result of infecting.

Synonyms: contamination, disease, illness, sickness, pathogen

Antonyms: health, immunity, wellness, purity, sanitation