infection

Where does the word "infection" come from? It comes from Latin inficere, passing through Latin before entering English (1300s).

Infection’s story begins in Latin: inficere meant “to put in, to taint.” To put in, to taint, from in- (into) and facere (to do, make). Within Latin, it grew into infectio by ancient. A tainting, a contamination, from inficere. It reached English by 1300s as infection. Settled as the English word for the invasion of the body by disease-causing organisms. Today, infection means the invasion and multiplication of disease-causing organisms in the body.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient inficere "to put in, to taint", to put in, to taint, from in- (into) and facere (to do, make).
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient infectio "a tainting, a contamination", a tainting, a contamination, from inficere.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1300s infection "the invasion of the body by disease-causing organisms", settled as the English word for the invasion of the body by disease-causing organisms.