transmissible
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of transmissible
1635–45; < Latin trānsmiss ( us ) ( see transmission) + -ible
Explanation
Having a transmissible illness is a good excuse to stay home from school or work: it means that whatever bug you have spreads very easily to other people. The dangerous thing about viruses like polio, smallpox, Covid-19, and the flu is that they're extremely transmissible, spreading easily from person to person. Depending on the pathogen, this happens when a sick person sneezes, coughs, or touches a surface with germy fingers. The Latin root of transmissible is transmittere, "transfer or send across," from trans-, "across," and mittere, "to send or throw."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“In conditions when people are not aware, this virus might be transmissible, especially at the beginning of an outbreak,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
It requires close contact of less than one meter for 30 minutes, he said, adding that hantavirus is "much less transmissible" than Covid-19 or the flu.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
Even though this is not an easily transmitted disease, it is transmissible and has a high mortality rate, Iovine said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
The National Trust spokeswoman added: "Decaying marine mammals pose a serious health risk. They can carry a range of diseases that are transmissible to humans and dogs."
From BBC ● May 26, 2025
For a long time, however, practical husbandmen have recognized an epizoötic or contagious kind of abortion, a definite transmissible disease in which the loss of the fetus is the most prominent characteristic.
From Contagious Abortion of Cows by MacNeal, Ward J.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
