What does "contagion" mean?
Contagion: That which serves as a medium or agency to transmit disease; a virus produced by, or exhalation proceeding from, a diseased person, and capable of reproducing the disease.
Additional senses
- 2.The act or means of communicating any influence to the mind or heart; as, the contagion of enthusiasm. "The contagion of example." Eikon Basilike. When lust . . . Lets in defilement to the inward parts, The soul grows clotted by contagion. Milton.
- 3.Venom; poison. [Obs.] "I'll touch my point with this contagion." Shak.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00