contagium

[ kuhn-tey-juhm, -jee-uhm ]

/ kənˈteɪ dʒəm, -dʒi əm /

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noun, plural con·ta·gia

[kuhn-tey-juh, -jee-uh]. /kənˈteɪ dʒə, -dʒi ə/. Pathology.

the causative agent of a contagious or infectious disease, as a virus.

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Origin of contagium

1645–55; <Latin, equivalent to contāg- (see contagion) + -ium-ium

Words nearby contagium

contagious disease, contagious ecthyma, contagious granular conjunctivitis, contagious magic, contagious stomatitis, contagium, contain, contained, container, containerboard, container car

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use contagium in a sentence

Thus the theory of contagium vivum, for which Henle contended as early as 1821, was not forgotten.
An Epitome of the History of Medicine|Roswell Park
Hoare states that in this type of specific arthritis the contagium is probably carried by the blood.
Lameness of the Horse|John Victor Lacroix
Richardson believes that the contagium was attached to the thatch, which could not be thoroughly disinfected.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
A freezing temperature ordinarily destroys the contagium of yellow fever.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various

He also made some remarkable experiments on the permanence of the contagium in the form of spores.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2|John Tyndall

British Dictionary definitions for contagium

contagium

/ (kənˈteɪdʒɪəm) /

noun plural -gia (-dʒɪə)

pathol the specific virus or other direct cause of any infectious disease

Word Origin for contagium

C17: from Latin, variant of contāgiō contagion

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for contagium

contagium

[ kən-tā′jəm ]

n. pl. con•ta•gia (-jə)

The causative agent of a communicable disease; contagion.