Added 10 October 2026
contagion
/kənˈteɪd͡ʒən/ noun
In Latin: contāgiō Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about contagion at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Any disease easily transmitted by contact.
- An incident in which an infectious disease is transmitted.
-
The communication of an attitude or emotional state among a number of people.
a contagion of mirth
Origin
From Middle English (late 14th century), from Old French, from Latin contāgiō (“a touching, contact, contagion”) related to contingō (“touch closely”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)