Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “contagious” come from?

Contagious comes from Old French contagieus, from Late Latin contagiosus, from Latin contagio meaning contact or transmission of disease.

contagious (English): Easily transmitted to others; Easily passed on to...

Definitions

  1. Easily transmitted to others; Easily passed on to...

Ancestry of “contagious”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchcontagieus—
2Late Latincontagiosuscontagious, infectious
3Latincontagiocontact, touch; intercourse; influence

Words derived from “contagious”

  • contagiousness
  • contagiously
  • noncontagious
  • uncontagious
  • noncontagiousness
  • anticontagious
Every word from Latin contagio →