contagion
noun /kənˈteɪdʒən/
/kənˈteɪdʒən/
- [uncountable] the spread of a disease by close contact between people
- There is no risk of contagion.
- [countable] (old use) a disease that can be spread by close contact between people
- [uncountable, countable] (formal) something bad that spreads quickly by being passed from person to person
- the contagion of political extremism
compare infection
Word Originlate Middle English (denoting a contagious disease): from Latin contagio(n-), from con- ‘together with’ + the base of tangere ‘to touch’.