contagious
/kənˈteɪ.d͡ʒəs/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.58 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Easily transmitted to others.
adj
Having a disease that can be transmitted to another person.
adj
Example Sentences
- "Last year's flu strain was so contagious that everybody in town got sick!"
- "contagious enthusiasm; infectious laughter"
- "Wearing jeans was a contagious fad at that time."
- "The taverns of our ancestors would ill bear contrasting with the clubs of to-day; but many a gay midnight was past in the former:—midnights, whose mirth has descended even to us; half the jests, whose gaiety is still contagious; half the epigrams, whose point is yet felt, were born of those brief and brilliant hours."
- "Cause love is contagious, when it's alright / Love is contagious, when it's alright / Love is alright"
- "One such investigation described how kindness can be contagious."
Etymology
From Old French contagieus, from Late Latin contagiosus, from contagio.
Origin
- Source language: Old French
Word Breakdown
- Root: contagieus, contagiosus
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Medicine.
Inflected Forms
more contagious (comparative)
most contagious (superlative)