infect Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb communicate a disease to
    • Your children have infected you with this head cold
  2. verb contaminate with a disease or microorganism
    taint.
  3. verb corrupt with ideas or an ideology
    • society was infected by racism
  4. verb affect in a contagious way
    • His laughter infects everyone who is in the same room

WordNet

In*fect" adjective
Etymology
L. infectus: cf. F. infect. See Infect, v. t.
Definitions
  1. Infected. Cf. Enfect. Obs. Shak.
In*fect" transitive verb
Etymology
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.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Infected; present participle & verbal noun Infecting
Definitions
  1. 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.
  2. To affect with infectious disease; to communicate infection to; as, infected with the plague.
    Them that were left alive being infected with this disease. Sir T. North.
  3. 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. Cowper.
    Infected Ston's daughters with like heat. Milton.
  4. (Law) To contaminate with illegality or to expo to penalty. Syn. -- To poison; vitiate; pollute; defile.

Webster 1913