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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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023