Etymology : Middle English, from Latin infectus, past participle of inficere, from in- + facere to make, do; more at DO
Pronunciation : in-'fekt
Function : transitive verb
Date : 14th century
1. affect with a disease or disease causing germs; corrupt, taint, contaminate; influence. infect\in*fect"\ , a. [l. infectus: cf. f. infect. see:
infect, v. t.] infected. cf. enfect. [obs.]infect \in*fect"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. infected; p. pr. & vb. n. infecting.] [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.].
2. 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.
3. to affect with infectious disease; to communicate infection to; as, infected with the plague. them that were left alive being infected with this disease. t. north.
4. to communicate to or affect with, as qualities or emotions, esp. bad qualities; to corrupt; to contaminate; to taint by the communication of anything noxious or pernicious. infected ston's daughters with like heat.
5. (law) to contaminate with illegality or to expose to penalty.
6. Infected.
7. Cf.
8. Enfect.
9. 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.
10. To affect with infectious disease; to communicate infection to; as, infected with the plague.
11. To communicate to or affect with, as qualities or emotions, esp. bad qualities; to corrupt; to contaminate; to taint by the communication of anything noxious or pernicious.
12. To contaminate with illegality or to expose to penalty. contaminate with a disease or microorganism communicate a disease to; "Your children have infected you with this head cold" affect in a contagious way; "His laughter infects everyone who is in the same room" contaminate with ideas or an ideology; "society was infected by racism".
13. 1. To infect people, animals, or plants means to cause them to have a disease or illness. A single mosquito can infect a large number of people. people infected with HIV. + infection in·fec·tion plants that are resistant to infection.
14. To infect a substance or area means to cause it to contain harmful germs or bacteria. The birds infect the milk. a virus which is spread mainly by infected blood. = contaminate.
15. When people, places, or things are infected by a feeling or influence, it spreads to them. For an instant I was infected by her fear He thought they might infect others with their bourgeois ideas His urge for revenge would never infect her.
16. If a virus infects a computer, it affects the computer by damaging or destroying programs. This virus infected thousands of computers within days.