1. (

• infection

) the pathological state resulting from the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms ;

2. (

• infection ,

) (phonetics) the alteration of a speech sound under the influence of a neighboring sound ;

3. (

• infection

) (medicine) the invasion of the body by pathogenic microorganisms and their multiplication which can lead to tissue damage and disease ;

4. (

• infection ,
• contagion ,
• transmission

) an incident in which an infectious disease is transmitted ;

5. (

• contagion ,
• infection

) the communication of an attitude or emotional state among a number of people; "a contagion of mirth"; "the infection of his enthusiasm for poetry" ;

6. (

• infection

) moral corruption or contamination; "ambitious men are led astray by an infection that is almost unavoidable" ;

7. (

• infection ,

) (international law) illegality that taints or contaminates a ship or cargo rendering it liable to seizure ;