anticontagion
|an-ti-con-ta-gion|
/ˌæn.ti.kənˈteɪ.dʒən/
against contagion / prevent spread
Etymology
'anticontagion' originates from the prefix 'anti-' (from Greek 'anti-', meaning 'against') combined with the noun 'contagion' (from Latin 'contagionem'), where 'contagionem' referred to 'a touching, contact'.
'contagion' comes from Latin 'contagionem' and entered English via Old French and Middle English as 'contagion'; in modern English the prefix 'anti-' was attached to form 'anticontagion' to denote opposition to contagion theory or to label measures against contagion.
Initially, the term was used chiefly to denote opposition to the medical theory of contagion; over time it also came to be used for policies or measures intended to prevent contagion (i.e., anti-contagion measures).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a historical medical theory or stance denying that certain diseases are transmitted directly from person to person (i.e., opposition to contagionism), especially used in 19th-century debates about diseases like cholera.
Anticontagion gained adherents among some physicians who believed miasma, not person-to-person contact, explained cholera outbreaks.
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Noun 2
policies, measures, or practices intended to prevent the spread of contagious disease (i.e., anti-contagion measures).
The city's anticontagion included quarantine rules, closures, and broad sanitation efforts.
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Adjective 1
opposing the idea of contagion or intended to prevent contagion; descriptive of attitudes, policies, or measures that resist or halt the spread of infectious disease.
Officials adopted anticontagion policies early in the epidemic to limit person-to-person transmission.
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Last updated: 2025/08/30 01:06