Link Centre Dictionary

infection

in·fec·tion

UK/ɪnˈfɛkʃən/ US/ˌɪˈnfɛkʃʌn/ common

noun

1.

the pathological state resulting from the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms

2.

(phonetics) the alteration of a speech sound under the influence of a neighboring sound

3.

(medicine) the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms and their multiplication which can lead to tissue damage and disease

4.
5.

the communication of an attitude or emotional state among a number of people

  • “a contagion of mirth”
  • “the infection of his enthusiasm for poetry”
Synonyms
6.

moral corruption or contamination

  • “ambitious men are led astray by an infection that is almost unavoidable”
7.

(international law) illegality that taints or contaminates a ship or cargo rendering it liable to seizure

Origin

From Old French infection, from Late Latin īnfectiō. Equivalent to infect + -ion.

Phrases

  • bladder infection
  • lytic infection
  • opportunistic infection
  • secondary infection
  • sexually transmitted infection
  • spurious infection
  • urinary tract infection
  • urinary-tract infection

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.