contagion

[kuhn-tey-juhn]

noun

1. the communication of disease by direct or indirect contact.

2. a disease so communicated.

3. the medium by which a contagious disease is transmitted.

4. harmful or undesirable contact or influence.

5. the ready transmission or spread as of an idea or emotion from person to person.

   a contagion of fear.

contagion

/ kənˈteɪdʒən /

noun

1. the transmission of disease from one person to another by direct or indirect contact

2. a contagious disease

3. another name for contagium

4. a corrupting or harmful influence that tends to spread; pollutant

5. the spreading of an emotional or mental state among a number of people

   the contagion of mirth

contagion

1. The transmission of an infectious disease resulting from direct or indirect contact between individuals or animals.

2. A disease that is transmitted in this way.

3. The agent that causes a contagious disease, such as a bacterium or a virus.

Other Word Forms

• contagioned adjective
• noncontagion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of contagion¹

1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French ) < Latin contāgiōn- (stem of contāgiō ) contact, infection, equivalent to con- con- + tāg- (variant stem of tangere to touch) + -iōn- -ion; contact

Word History and Origins

Origin of contagion¹

C14: from Latin contāgiō a touching, infection, from contingere; see _contact

Example Sentences

And that, in turn, spread the stock-market contagion to the bond market.

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Stablecoins' links to traditional financial markets -- stablecoin provider Tether is among the world's largest purchasers of short-term US government debt -- moreover meant there were contagion risks, the economists warned.

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The contagion spread to France in late 2024 and exploded once the price of gold began to surge.

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For therapists, the task is to resist moral contagion, restore perspective and help patients regain cognitive distance.

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Each said, repeatedly, that he saw no possibility of “contagion” in the financial markets from the losses in subprime mortgages.

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Related Words

• contamination 
• illness 
• pollution 
• virus