contagion

Pronunciation: kon-tā′jŭn

Definition:

1. Transmission of infection by direct contact, droplet spread, or contaminated fomites. The term originated long before development of modern ideas of infectious disease and has since lost much of its significance, being included under the more inclusive term “communicable disease.”
2. Production through suggestion or imitation of a neurosis or psychosis in several or more members of a group.

Synonym(s): contagium

[L. contagio; fr. contingo, to touch closely]

Search Stedman's Medical Dictionary