fomite
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fomite
- /ˈfəʊmʌɪt/ UK
- /ˈfoʊmaɪt/ US
Rhymes with -əʊmʌɪt
Where it comes from
A back-formation from fomites, plural of fomes, a borrowing of medical Latin fōmes (“tinder, kindling”), used figuratively to evoke the analogy of a spreading infection to a spreading fire.
noun fomites
-
An inanimate object capable of carrying infectious agents (such as bacteria, viruses or prions), and thus passively enabling their transmission between hosts; common examples include towels, dishcloths, kitchenware/flatware, and laundry.
This must be an efficacious fomite of cutaneous and pectoral disease.
Similar: fomes
Translations
Every language
noun inanimate object capable of transferring infectious agents
| Español | fómite |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 매개물 maegaemul |
| 日本語 | 媒介物 baikaibutsu |
| 中文 | 傳染物 /传染物 chuánrǎnwù, 媒介物 méijièwù, 病媒 bìngméi |
| Português | fómite, fômite |
| Français | vecteur passif, fomite |
| Deutsch | Fomite, Infektionsträger |
| Italiano | fomite |
| Română | fomite |
| Русский | возбуди́тель vozbudítelʹ, перено́счик perenósčik, посре́дник posrédnik, фомиты fomity |
Talk about this word "fomite." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/fomite. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026. fomite. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 7, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/fomite "fomite." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 7, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/fomite.Cite this
@misc{fomite_2026,
title = {fomite},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/fomite},
urldate = {2026-11-07}
}
