fomes
fomes · fomites
Morbid matter created by a diseaseMorbid matter created by a disease.
UK/ˈfəʊmiːz/US/ˈfoʊ.miːz/
Meaning
3 senses(obsolete)Morbid matter created by a disease.
(archaic)Synonym of fomite: a substance able to communicate infection between people.
Toys are common fomites.
(archaic, figuratively)Anything which similarly facilitates the spread of something similarly deleterious.
More definitions
- genus of bracket fungi forming corky or woody perennial shelflike sporophores often of large size; includes some that cause destructive heartrot in trees
Origin
From medical Latin fōmes (“fomite”), a figurative extension of its original sense of kindlFrom medical Latin fōmes (“fomite”), a figurative extension of its original sense of kindling, tinder, etc. Gradually supplanted in use by fomite, a mistaken backformation of its plural form fomites, from Latin fōmitēs.
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
plural: fomitesSynonyms
2 synonymsClose in meaning
- genus of bracket fungi forming corky or woody perennial shelflike sporophores often of large size; includes some that cause destructive heartrot in trees:genus Fomes