patient zero

[ pey-shuhnt zeer-oh ]

/ ˈpeɪ ʃənt ˈzɪər oʊ /

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noun

Pathology. the first known carrier of infection in an outbreak: Public health officials are tracing all contacts of infected patients, trying to work their way back to find patient zero.See also index patient.

the person or thing that is believed to be the point of origin for any spreading effect, status, or event, especially if negative: One rowdy new student was patient zero for all kinds of classroom chaos and problem behaviors.

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Origin of patient zero

First recorded in 1985–90

Words nearby patient zero

pathway, -pathy, Patiala, patience, patient, patient zero, patiki, patin, patina, patinaed, patinate

How to use patient zero in a sentence

Not quite, but at one point the temperature registered 29 below zero, with 21 inches of snow.
Speed Read: The Juiciest Bits From the History of ‘Purple Rain’|Jennie Yabroff|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Doctors are prohibited from doing what a patient needs by rigid practice guidelines.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The longer someone stays well, the lower their chance of relapsing, although that possibility never becomes zero.
You’re Never ‘Cured’ of an Eating Disorder|Carrie Arnold|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For the individual patient, there is the potential for side effects or adverse reactions.
Without Education, Antibiotic Resistance Will Be Our Greatest Health Crisis|Russell Saunders|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

This not only defrauds the state out of thousands of dollars, but also deprives the patient who needs the drugs.
No More Paper Prescriptions: Docs Fight Fraud by Going Electronic|Dale Eisinger|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“But this is not a case of attending a patient, Baron,” said David Arden, a little haughtily.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
But the day he planned to start was very cold—the mercury stood twenty-seven below zero.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
But Yung Pak had long before learned to be patient under such circumstances.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Surely, since he had been patient so long without hope, he could be still more patient now that hope had dawned!
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
He glanced up and saw the face of the Bruder watching him with a smile of patient indulgence.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood