contagion
kuhn-TAY-juhn
/kənˈteɪdʒən/
The communication of disease from one person to another by close contact; a disease spread by direct or indirect contact.
Connotes the mechanism or material of disease transmission, often extended metaphorically to fear, panic, or financial crises.
The story behind the word. Derived from Latin 'contagium', from 'con-' (together) and 'tangere' (to touch). Before germ theory was understood, medical writers used 'contagion' to describe mysterious diseases that seemed to transfer by physical touch or shared air.
Word relationships
- infection: Infection refers to the biological invasion of tissue; contagion stresses the transmissibility between hosts.
- transmission: Transmission is the mechanical process of passing an agent from one point to another.
- non-communicable: Refers to diseases that cannot spread from person to person.
Commonly confused with
- infection: Infection is internal replication of a pathogen; contagion is the property of passing that pathogen to others.
Word family
- contagious (adjective): Capable of being transmitted by direct or indirect contact.
- contagiousness (noun): The quality of being easily transmitted.
Collocations
- fear of contagion
- financial contagion
- risk of contagion
- spread of contagion
Example sentences
- "Strict isolation safeguards were enforced to prevent the contagion from escaping the laboratory containment floor." Virology
- "Financial analysts warned that the failure of the major bank could trigger systemic financial contagion across European markets." Economics / Metaphor
Memory hook
CONTAGion comes from CONTACT — touching together (con + tangere). Con-TOUCH-gion: disease spread by TOUCHING together.
When not to use
Avoid using as a synonym for non-transmissible medical conditions like diabetes.
Fun facts
- In financial economics, 'financial contagion' describes how a crisis in one market rapidly spreads to neighboring or linked economies.
Related words
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