/ English Dictionary |
INFECTION
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
(international law) illegality that taints or contaminates a ship or cargo rendering it liable to seizure
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("infection" is a kind of...):
illegality (unlawfulness by virtue of violating some legal statute)
Domain category:
jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Moral corruption or contamination
Example:
ambitious men are led astray by an infection that is almost unavoidable
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("infection" is a kind of...):
corruption; corruptness (lack of integrity or honesty (especially susceptibility to bribery); use of a position of trust for dishonest gain)
Sense 3
Meaning:
The communication of an attitude or emotional state among a number of people
Example:
the infection of his enthusiasm for poetry
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents
Hypernyms ("infection" is a kind of...):
communication (something that is communicated by or to or between people or groups)
Derivation:
infect (affect in a contagious way)
infectious (easily spread)
Sense 4
Meaning:
An incident in which an infectious disease is transmitted
Synonyms:
contagion; infection; transmission
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("infection" is a kind of...):
incident (a single distinct event)
Derivation:
infect (communicate a disease to)
Sense 5
Meaning:
(medicine) the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms and their multiplication which can lead to tissue damage and disease
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
Hypernyms ("infection" is a kind of...):
pathologic process; pathological process (an organic process occurring as a consequence of disease)
Domain category:
medical specialty; medicine (the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "infection"):
zymosis ((medicine) the development and spread of an infectious disease (especially one caused by a fungus))
Derivation:
infect (contaminate with a disease or microorganism)
infectious (of or relating to infection)
Sense 6
Meaning:
(phonetics) the alteration of a speech sound under the influence of a neighboring sound
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
Hypernyms ("infection" is a kind of...):
linguistic process (a process involved in human language)
Domain category:
phonetics (the branch of acoustics concerned with speech processes including its production and perception and acoustic analysis)
Sense 7
Meaning:
The pathological state resulting from the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms
Classified under:
Nouns denoting stable states of affairs
Hypernyms ("infection" is a kind of...):
health problem; ill health; unhealthiness (a state in which you are unable to function normally and without pain)
Meronyms (parts of "infection"):
incubation ((pathology) the phase in the development of an infection between the time a pathogen enters the body and the time the first symptoms appear)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "infection"):
vaccina; vaccinia; variola vaccina; variola vaccine; variola vaccinia (a local infection induced in humans by inoculation with the virus causing cowpox in order to confer resistance to smallpox; normally lasts three weeks and leaves a pitted scar)
viral infection; virus infection (infection by a virus that is pathogenic to humans)
toxoplasmosis (infection caused by parasites transmitted to humans from infected cats; if contracted by a pregnant woman it can result in serious damage to the fetus)
lockjaw; tetanus (an acute and serious infection of the central nervous system caused by bacterial infection of open wounds; spasms of the jaw and laryngeal muscles may occur during the late stages)
tapeworm infection (intestinal infection by a species of parasitic tapeworm; usually the result of eating inadequately cooked meat or fish)
suprainfection (secondary infection caused by an opportunistic infection)
superinfection (infection that occurs while you are being treated for another infection)
eye infection; hordeolum; sty; stye (an infection of the sebaceous gland of the eyelid)
septic sore throat; strep throat; streptococcal sore throat; streptococcus tonsilitis; throat infection (an infection of the oral pharynx and tonsils by streptococcus)
staphylococcal infection (an infection with staphylococcus bacteria; usually marked by abscess formation)
sore (an open skin infection)
sepsis (the presence of pus-forming bacteria or their toxins in the blood or tissues)
bilharzia; bilharziasis; schistosomiasis (an infestation with or a resulting infection caused by a parasite of the genus Schistosoma; common in the tropics and Far East; symptoms depend on the part of the body infected)
itch; scabies (a contagious skin infection caused by the itch mite; characterized by persistent itching and skin irritation)
respiratory infection; respiratory tract infection (any infection of the respiratory tract)
protozoal infection (any infection caused by a protozoan)
paronychia (infection in the tissues adjacent to a nail on a finger or toe)
opportunistic infection (any infection caused by a microorganism that does not normally cause disease in humans; occurs in persons with abnormally functioning immune systems (as AIDS patients or transplant patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs))
cross infection; nonsocial infection (an infection that is acquired at a hospital or other healthcare facility)
focal infection (bacterial infection limited to a specific organ or region especially one causing symptoms elsewhere)
felon; whitlow (a purulent infection at the end of a finger or toe in the area surrounding the nail)
enterobiasis (an infestation with or a resulting infection caused by the pinworm Enterobius vermicularis; occurs especially in children)
Derivation:
infect (contaminate with a disease or microorganism)
infectious (caused by infection or capable of causing infection)
infectious (of or relating to infection)
Context examples:
It is caused by a bacterial infection.
(Acute bacterial prostatitis, NCI Dictionary)
They help the body fight infection.
(Absolute neutrophil count, NCI Dictionary)
Importantly, cerebral organoids contain different neuronal cell types, which allowed the investigators to assess the sensitivity of neural stem cells and neurons to LACV infection.
(Cerebral organoid model provides clues about how to prevent virus-induced brain cell death, National Institutes of Health)
It is usually manifested with periodontal infections.
(Acatalasemia, NCI Thesaurus)
An abscess is a sign of infection and is usually swollen and inflamed.
(Abscess, NCI Dictionary)
Gum disease is an infection affecting the tissue that holds your teeth in the right place.
(New Link Found between Alzheimer's & Gum Disease Bacteria, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
A. johnsonii is a commensal organism on human skin and oropharynx but may be a cause of nosocomial infections.
(Acinetobacter johnsonii, NCI Thesaurus)
It is usually caused by repeated infections.
(Middle Ear Cholesteatoma, NCI Thesaurus)
Representative examples include infection, cholesteatoma, and carcinoma.
(Middle Ear Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)
A substance being studied in the treatment of bacterial infections from catheters (flexible tubes used to deliver fluids into or take fluids from the body).
(minocycline-EDTA, NCI Dictionary)