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.
On August 7, the KWS said their "findings to date do not indicate an infectious or transmissible disease", assuring tourists that they could continue to visit.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
These leaders argued that, with appropriate oversight, viruses could be manipulated, making them more transmissible or deadly, to evaluate how likely they were to make the leap to humans from animals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Namely, that this virus is far less transmissible.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
However, it isn’t as easily transmissible as Covid.
From Barron's ● May 8, 2026
When any character occurs in both, it is generally spoken of as transmissible and of having been transmitted.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 3 "Helmont, Jean" to "Hernosand" by Various
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.
