infect

Meanings

Verb

communicate a disease to
- "Your children have infected you with this head cold"
contaminate with a disease or microorganism
corrupt with ideas or an ideology
- "society was infected by racism"
affect in a contagious way
- "His laughter infects everyone who is in the same room"
To bring (the body or part of it) into contact with a substance that causes illness (a pathogen), so that the pathogen begins to act on the body; (of a pathogen) to come into contact with (a body or body part) and begin to act on it.
To contaminate (an object or substance) with a pathogen.
To make somebody enthusiastic about one's own passion, or to communicate a feeling to others, or a feeling communicating itself to others.

Adj

Infected.
Representing an action not yet completed.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle French infect, from Latin infectus, perfect passive participle of inficiō (“dye, taint”).

Synonyms

leper, taint

Antonyms

disinfect

Scrabble Score: 11

infect is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
infect is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
infect is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 13

infect is a valid Words With Friends word