Definition of Infect

1. Verb. Communicate a disease to. "Your children have infected you with this head cold"

Specialized synonyms: Canker
Generic synonyms: Give
Derivative terms: Infection, Infective, Infective

2. Verb. Contaminate with a disease or microorganism.
Exact synonyms: Taint
Specialized synonyms: Superinfect, Smut
Generic synonyms: Contaminate, Foul, Pollute
Antonyms: Disinfect
Derivative terms: Infection, Infection, Infective, Infective, Taint

3. Verb. Corrupt with ideas or an ideology. "Society was infected by racism"

4. Verb. Affect in a contagious way. "His laughter infects everyone who is in the same room"
Generic synonyms: Affect, Impress, Move, Strike
Derivative terms: Infection

Definition of Infect

1. a. Infected. Cf. Enfect.

2. v. t. To taint with morbid matter or any pestilential or noxious substance or effluvium by which disease is produced; as, to infect a lancet; to infect an apartment.

Definition of Infect

1. Verb. (transitive) to bring into contact with a substance that can cause illness (a pathogen) ¹

2. Verb. (transitive) to make somebody enthusiastic about one's own passion ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Infect

1. to contaminate with disease-producing germs [v -ED, -ING, -S]

Medical Definition of Infect

1. 1. To taint with morbid matter or any pestilential or noxious substance or effluvium by which disease is produced; as, to infect a lancet; to infect an apartment. 2. To affect with infectious disease; to communicate infection to; as, infected with the plague. "Them that were left alive being infected with this disease." (Sir T. North) 3. To communicate to or affect with, as qualities or emotions, especially. Bad qualities; to corrupt; to contaminate; to taint by the communication of anything noxious or pernicious. "Infected Ston's daughters with like heat." (Milton) 4. To contaminate with illegality or to expo to penalty. Synonym: To poison, vitiate, pollute, defile. Origin: L. Infectus, p. P. Of inficere to put or dip into, to stain, infect; pref. In- in + facere = to make; cf. F. Infecter. See Fact. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Infect

infatuates
infatuating
infatuation
infatuations
infauna
infaunae
infaunal
infaunas
infaunt
infaust
infausting
infeasibilities
infeasibility
infeasible
infeasibleness
infect (current term)
infectability
infectable
infectant
infected
infected abortion
infectee
infectees
infecter
infecters
infectest
infecteth
infectibility
infectible
infecting

Literary usage of Infect

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language by Walter William Skeat (1893)
"So also infect in Chaucer, CT 422 (Six-text, A. 420!, where Tyrwhitt has ' in ... Hence ME infecten, to infect, Prompt. Parv. p. 261. —OF infect, 'infect ..."

2. A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language by Walter William Skeat (1882)
"... to complete. infect, to taint. (F.-L.) ME infect, as pp. ; also infecten, verb. — OF infect, infected. ..."

3. Dictionary of National Biography by LESLIE. STEPHEN, Sidney Lee (1886)
"Sermons: • Religious and are apt to infect with their defilement,' so that ' even the most pure, as Young, Thomson, Addison, Richardson, bewitch the soul, ..."

4. The American Journal of the Medical Sciences by Southern Society for Clinical Investigation (U.S.) (1879)
"... that is by the so-called spermatic influence, infect the lymph-cells and convert them into tumour elements. ЛЛ'е have thus, in the space allotted to us, ..."

5. A Dictionary of the English Language: In which the Words are Deduced from ...by Samuel Johnson by Samuel Johnson (1805)
"To infect with the manner of Franc*; to make a coxcomb. They misliked nothing more In king ... infect ..."

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