infection

[ in-fek-shuhn ]

noun

1. an act or fact of infecting; state of being infected.
2. an infecting with germs of disease, as through the medium of infected insects, air, water, or clothing.
3. an infecting agency or influence.
4. an infectious disease:

   Is this infection very dangerous?

5. the condition of suffering an infection.
6. corruption of another's opinions, beliefs, moral principles, etc.; moral contamination.
7. an influence or impulse passing from one to another and affecting feeling or action.
8. Grammar. (in Celtic languages) assimilation in which a vowel is influenced by a following vowel or semivowel; umlaut.

infection

/ ɪnˈfɛkʃən /

noun

1. invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms
2. the resulting condition in the tissues
3. an infectious disease
4. the act of infecting or state of being infected
5. an agent or influence that infects
6. persuasion or corruption, as by ideas, perverse influences, etc

infection

/ ĭn-fĕk′shən /

1. The invasion of the body of a human or an animal by a pathogen such as a bacterium, fungus, or virus. Infections can be localized, as in pharyngitis , or widespread as in sepsis , and are often accompanied by fever and an increased number of white blood cells. Individuals with immunodeficiency syndromes are predisposed to certain infections.
2. See also infectious disease

infection

1. Invasion of the body or a body part by a pathogenic organism, which multiplies and produces harmful effects on the body's tissues.

Other Words From

• nonin·fection noun
• postin·fection adjective
• prein·fection noun
• rein·fection noun
• subin·fection noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of infection¹

1350–1400; Middle English infeccio ( u ) n < Late Latin infectiōn- (stem of infectiō ). See infect, -ion

Example Sentences

So even though cases overall grew, hospitalizations and deaths were down — and that makes sense because younger people are more likely to experience mild or symptom-free infections.

From Vox

That could increase the infection risk in shared spaces including offices, restaurants, and movie theaters.

From Fortune

The underlying level of infection remains high, however, and the virus is still passing freely from person to person in much of the country.

From Washington Post

In other words, it’s hard to predict how many people might die of widespread infection.

From Washington Post

Some feared coming to work while others walked out of plants to protest the lack of infection control measures.

From ProPublica

Four weeks after the injections, all 20 of the participants had developed the antibodies needed to stave off the infection.

From The Daily Beast

The following year, he developed pneumocystis pneumonia—a serious infection associated with HIV and AIDS.

From The Daily Beast

A fair number explicitly ask for an antibiotic, to cover the possibility that it is “bronchitis” or a “sinus infection.”

From The Daily Beast

First, bubonic (rhymes with pneumonic but is altogether different) is a local infection sequestered in a lymph node.

From The Daily Beast

No, not Ebola, but rather infection with the dreaded bacterium, Yersinia pestis.

From The Daily Beast

There is still a general tendency in universities on both sides of the Atlantic to treat propaganda as infection.

From Project Gutenberg

Chyluria occurs most frequently as a symptom of infection by Filaria sanguinis hominis.

From Project Gutenberg

A mild degree means that the body is not reacting well, or else that the infection is too slight to call forth much resistance.

From Project Gutenberg

Infection in man occurs from ingestion of insufficiently cooked pork, which contains encysted embryos.

From Project Gutenberg

Tuberculous pleurisy due to direct extension from the lung may give excess of polymorphonuclears owing to mixed infection.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bug
• disease
• epidemic
• flu
• pollution
• virus