# infect

Pronunciation: US say "in-FEKT" /ɪnˈfɛkt/; UK

## Verb

1. To bring a body or body part into contact with a pathogen so the pathogen begins acting on it; or, of a pathogen, to enter a body and start to act.
   - Simple: To pass germs into someone's body so the germs begin to make the person sick.
   - _The contaminated needle infected several patients before anyone noticed._
   - _Health officials feared the new strain could infect millions within weeks._
2. To contaminate an object or substance with a disease-causing pathogen.
   - Simple: To put germs onto an object or into a substance, making it unsafe.
   - _Improperly stored meat had infected the entire batch._
   - _Researchers deliberately infect the samples to test the new disinfectant._
3. To fill someone with your own enthusiasm, or to spread a feeling to others so that it catches on.
   - Simple: To spread your excitement or feeling to other people so they feel it too.
   - _His optimism infected everyone in the office within days._
   - _Festival crowds can infect newcomers with sudden, giddy energy._

## Adjective

4. Affected by or tainted with disease; infected. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: Affected by a disease and carrying an illness.
5. Designating a verb form that represents an action as ongoing or not yet completed. *(rare)*
   - Simple: Showing an action that is still going on and not yet finished.
   - _Latin grammarians grouped the present, imperfect, and future under the infect system._
   - _An infect stem marks the action as still unfolding rather than finished._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–4** — From Middle French 'infect', from Latin 'infectus', the perfect passive participle of 'inficio' meaning 'to dye or taint'.
**Meaning 5** — Borrowed from Latin 'infectus', which combines 'in-' ('not') with 'factus', the perfect passive participle of 'facio' ('to do, make').

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/infect (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).