LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · femininethird declension

contāgiō

contāgiō f (genitive contāgiōnis)
Classical[kɔnˈtaː.ɡi.oː]Ecclesiastical[konˈtaː.d͡ʒi.o]

Meaning

  1. contact, touch
  2. intercourse (social)
  3. influence

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

morbus trānsiēns
contāgiō -ōnis (f) — in Epistulae, ch. 21

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecontāgiōcontāgiōnēs
genitivecontāgiōniscontāgiōnum
dativecontāgiōnīcontāgiōnibus
accusativecontāgiōnemcontāgiōnēs
ablativecontāgiōnecontāgiōnibus
vocativecontāgiōcontāgiōnēs

contāgĭo, ōnis, f., contāgĭum, ii, n., and contāmen, ĭnis, n. (contagium only in poets—and in plur.—and in postAug. prose writers; cf. Paul. ex Fest. p. 59, 12; Non. p. 199, 2; Marc. Vict. 1, p. 2469 P.; cf. also colluvio: contamen only in late Lat.) [id.],
I. a touching, contact, touch, in a good or bad sense.
I. In gen.
(a). Contagio, Cato, R. R. 132 fin.: anima calescit ... contagione pulmonum, Cic. N. D. 2, 55, 138: corporis, id. Div. 1, 30, 63; 2, 43, 92; id. Fat. 3, 5: ab omni mentione et contagione Romanorum abstinere, Liv. 40, 20, 6.—
(b). Contagium, Lucr. 3, 346; 3, 740; Plin. 2, 20, 18, § 82; Mart. 11, 47.—
B. Pregn., a union, connection: contagio naturae valet, Cic. Fat. 3, 5.—
II. Freq., in a bad sense, a contacl with something physically or morally unclean, a contagion, infection.
A. Lit.
(a). Contagio: nolite ad me adire, ne contagio mea bonis obsit, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 12, 26 (Trag. Rel. v. 405 Vahl.); cf. Cic. de Or. 3, 41, 164: velut contagione quādam pestiferā insanire, Liv. 28, 34, 4: tum praecipue oves contagione vexentur, Col. 7, 5, 6; so id. 7, 5, 16: lichenis, Plin. 26, 1, 3, § 3: vini, id. 14, 21, 27, § 134 al.—
(b). Contagium: morbi, Lucr. 3, 472; 6, 1235; Curt. 9, 10, 1; cf. pestilentiae, Plin. 23, 8, 80, § 157: vicini pecoris, Verg. E. 1, 51.—Absol.: agunt contagia late, Ov. M. 7, 551; Hor. Epod. 16, 61 al.—
B. Trop., an infection, pollution, vicious companionship or intercourse, participation, contamination, etc.
(a). Contagio: contagione mei patris metuo malum, Plaut. Am. prol. 31; so with the gen.: illius sceleris, Cic. Mur. 37, 78; id. Sull. 2, 6: criminis, Liv. 9, 34, 14: turpitudinis, Cic. Att. 1, 16, 3: conscientiae, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 71, § 183: furoris, Liv. 28, 24, 10: cujus facti dictive, id. 2, 37, 7: noxae, id. 9, 1, 6: imitandi belli, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 3, § 6; cf. belli, Flor. 2, 13, 1: bellorum, id. 2, 2, 4: aspectus, Cic. Clu. 68, 193.—Plur.: contagiones malorum, quae a Lacedaemoniis profectae manaverunt latius, Cic. Off. 2, 23, 80.— Absol.: haec (vitia) primo paulatim crescere; post, ubi contagio quasi pestilentia invasit, civitas immutata, etc., * Sall. C. 10 fin.; Liv. 5, 6, 11; 5, 12, 7; 10, 18, 2 al.; Flor. 1, 9, 8.—
(b). Contagium: aegrae mentis, Ov. Tr. 3, 8, 25: scelerum, Luc. 3, 322: lucri (connected with scabies), Hor. Ep. 1, 12, 14: belli, Flor. 1, 15, 1: deditionis, id. 3, 14, 2: terrae, Ov. M. 15, 195.—
(g). Contamen, Tert. Carm. adv. Marc. 1, 1; 4, 4; Mart. Cap. 1, § 10 Kopp.

Origins

The origin of the long -ā- is unknown. In any case, related to tangō (and the prefixed contingō), with the suffix -iō.

Descendants
  • Catalancontagió
  • Frenchcontagion
  • Italiancontagione
  • Occitancontagion
  • Portuguesecontagião
  • Romaniancontagiune
  • Spanishcontagión
  • Idokontagio

In English words that came into English from contāgiō

  • contagioncontāgiō
  • contagiouscontagiosus

Quick answers

What does contāgiō mean in Latin?
contāgiō, a noun, means “contact, touch; intercourse (social); influence”.
What is the genitive of contāgiō?
The genitive singular is contāgiōnis. contāgiō is feminine, third declension.
How do you pronounce contāgiō?
In classical Latin, [kɔnˈtaː.ɡi.oː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [konˈtaː.d͡ʒi.o].