contagious
English
editEtymology
editFrom Old French contagieus, from Late Latin contagiosus, from contagio.
Pronunciation
edit- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /kənˈteɪdʒəs/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
- Rhymes: -eɪdʒəs
Adjective
editcontagious (comparative more contagious, superlative most contagious)
- (of a disease) Easily transmitted to others.
- Antonyms: noncontagious, noncommunicable, nontransmissible
- Hypernyms: infectious, communicable, transmissible, spreadable, catching
- Last year's flu strain was so contagious that everybody in town got sick!
- (figurative) Easily passed on to others.
- Synonyms: infectious, spreadable
- contagious enthusiasm; infectious laughter
- Wearing jeans was a contagious fad at that time.
- 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Success”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 75:
- The taverns of our ancestors would ill bear contrasting with the clubs of to-day; but many a gay midnight was past in the former:—midnights, whose mirth has descended even to us; half the jests, whose gaiety is still contagious; half the epigrams, whose point is yet felt, were born of those brief and brilliant hours.
- 2000, Damon Gough (lyrics and music), “Magic in the Air”, in The Hour of Bewilderbeast, performed by Badly Drawn Boy:
- Cause love is contagious, when it's alright / Love is contagious, when it's alright / Love is alright
- (of a person) Having a disease that can be transmitted to another person.
- They were highly contagious, spreading bacteria to other people.
- Contiguous.
- 19th century, Zozimus (lyrics and music), “The Finding of Moses”:
- In Agypt's land contaygious to the Nile / Old Pharao's daughter went to bathe in style,
Synonyms
editAntonyms
editDerived terms
editTranslations
editof a disease, easily transmitted to others
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of a fashion, laughter, etc, easily passed on to others
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capable of spreading a disease
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Further reading
edit- contagious on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
Categories:
- English terms derived from Old French
- English terms derived from Late Latin
- English 3-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/eɪdʒəs
- Rhymes:English/eɪdʒəs/3 syllables
- English lemmas
- English adjectives
- English terms with usage examples
- English terms with quotations
- en:Medicine