zoonotic
Americanadjective
Explanation
In medicine, zoonotic describes a disease that can be spread from animals to humans. If a rabid dog bites a person, the person may become infected with rabies, which is a zoonotic virus. Zoonotic comes from the noun zoonosis and its Greek roots, zōon, "animal," and nosos, "disease." The majority of diseases that affect humans started out in animal populations, but only the ones that pass directly from animals to people are considered zoonotic. One of the things that illnesses such as the Ebola virus, ringworm, and Lyme disease have in common is that they're all zoonotic.
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.
Eskew said expanding surveillance, particularly for species already known to carry zoonotic pathogens, could help identify risks earlier and prevent outbreaks from spreading.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
Bats are recognized as natural hosts for many zoonotic viruses, including rabies, Nipah, Hendra, Marburg, and SARS-CoV-1.
From Science Daily • Feb. 1, 2026
Studies show these droppings contain at least seven types of zoonotic pathogens that can cause diseases such as pneumonia, fungal infections and even lung damage in humans.
From BBC • Aug. 17, 2025
How concerned should we really be about thawing zoonotic infections?
From Salon • Apr. 24, 2025
Not only would domesticated animals have changed Indian societies, they might have created new zoonotic diseases.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
