contagium

[ kuh n-tey-juh m, -jee-uh m ]

/ kənˈteɪ dʒəm, -dʒi əm /

noun, plural con·ta·gia [kuh n-tey-juh, -jee-uh] /kənˈteɪ dʒə, -dʒi ə/. Pathology.

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

Nearby words

Origin of contagium

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for contagium

Little has been said either of the nature of the contagium or of the conditions that modify its activity.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
He then sought to determine how the contagium maintained its vitality.
Fragments of science, V. 1-2|John Tyndall
In his recent discourse upon the plague, he asks and answers the question, 'What is the contagium?'
Fragments of science, V. 1-2|John Tyndall
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

The moment the contents of the tube cease to be virulent, it is a sign that the contagium is dead.
Louis Pasteur|Ren Vallery-Radot

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

Medicine definitions for contagium

contagium

[ kən-tā′jəm ]

n. pl. con•ta•gia (-jə)

The causative agent of a communicable disease; contagion.