infect

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English

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Etymology

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From Middle French infect, from Latin infectus, perfect passive participle of inficiō (dye, taint).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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infect (third-person singular simple present infects, present participle infecting, simple past and past participle infected)

  1. (transitive) To bring (the body or part of it) into contact with a substance that causes illness (a pathogen), so that the pathogen begins to act on the body; (of a pathogen) to come into contact with (a body or body part) and begin to act on it.
    Not everyone will be infected when an epidemic strikes.
    • 2013 May-June, Katie L. Burke, “In the News”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3, page 193:
      Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola.
    • 2020 February 18, Isabella Kwai, “How a Pharmacy Handles Mask Hoarders and Coronavirus Fears”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2020-02-18, Asia Pacific‎[2]:
      Ms. Tang’s inevitable contact with people who are ill has started to worry her. It did not help when she learned that someone living in a building near her own, in Siu Sai Wan, had been infected by the virus.
  2. (transitive) To contaminate (an object or substance) with a pathogen.
  3. (transitive) To make somebody enthusiastic about one's own passion, or to communicate a feeling to others, or a feeling communicating itself to others.
    Her passion for dancing has infected me.

Synonyms

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  • (to contaminate): leper (rare)

Antonyms

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Derived terms

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Translations

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Adjective

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infect (not comparable)

  1. (obsolete) Infected.

Anagrams

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French

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin īnfectus.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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infect (feminine infecte, masculine plural infects, feminine plural infectes)

  1. vile, loathsome
  2. revolting, disgusting

Synonyms

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Descendants

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  • Romanian: infect

Further reading

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Romanian

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Etymology

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Borrowed from French infect, from Latin infectus.

Adjective

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infect m or n (feminine singular infectă, masculine plural infecți, feminine and neuter plural infecte)

  1. revolting, disgusting (about smells)
  2. vile, loathsome (about humans)

Declension

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