Infection - Definition

n 1: the pathological state resulting from the invasion of the
body by pathogenic microorganisms
2: (phonetics) the alteration of a speech sound under the
influence of a neighboring sound
3: (medicine) the invasion of the body by pathogenic
microorganisms and their multiplication which can lead to
tissue damage and disease
4: an incident in which an infectious disease is transmitted
[syn: infection, contagion, transmission]
5: the communication of an attitude or emotional state among a
number of people; "a contagion of mirth"; "the infection of
his enthusiasm for poetry" [syn: contagion, infection]
6: moral corruption or contamination; "ambitious men are led
astray by an infection that is almost unavoidable"
7: (international law) illegality that taints or contaminates a
ship or cargo rendering it liable to seizure