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Definition of contagion noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

contagion

noun
 
/kənˈteɪdʒən/
 
/kənˈteɪdʒən/
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  1. [uncountable] the spread of a disease by close contact between people
    • There is no risk of contagion.
    Topics Health problemsc2
  2. [countable] (old use) a disease that can be spread by close contact between people
  3. [uncountable, countable] (formal) something bad that spreads quickly by being passed from person to person
    • the contagion of political extremism
    4. compare infection
    Word Originlate Middle English (denoting a contagious disease): from Latin contagio(n-), from con- ‘together with’ + the base of tangere ‘to touch’.
See contagion in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee contagion in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: contagion

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