transmissible
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of transmissible
1635–45; < Latin trānsmiss ( us ) ( see transmission) + -ible
Explanation
Having a transmissible illness is a good excuse to stay home from school or work: it means that whatever bug you have spreads very easily to other people. The dangerous thing about viruses like polio, smallpox, Covid-19, and the flu is that they're extremely transmissible, spreading easily from person to person. Depending on the pathogen, this happens when a sick person sneezes, coughs, or touches a surface with germy fingers. The Latin root of transmissible is transmittere, "transfer or send across," from trans-, "across," and mittere, "to send or throw."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
So-called gain-of-function research can theoretically make viruses more transmissible or more deadly.
From Salon ● Sep. 11, 2026
These leaders argued that, with appropriate oversight, viruses could be manipulated, making them more transmissible or deadly, to evaluate how likely they were to make the leap to humans from animals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Gomez takes antiretroviral therapy, a lifesaving medication that reduces the number of infected cells, making the disease less transmissible and prevents HIV from developing into AIDS.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
Scientists have rejected the idea that a recent mutation made the Andes virus transmissible between humans.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
While such troubles are doubtless to be ascribed to bacterial activity, they are not transmissible from person to person.
From Outlines of dairy bacteriology A concise manual for the use of students in dairying by Edwin George Hastings
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
