contagiare

to infect

verb kohn-tah-JAH-reh Rare

Origin: Latin contagium (contact, contagion)

Also means

to contaminate

Usage Note

Contagiare takes avere as its auxiliary: il virus ha contagiato molte persone (the virus infected many people). The reflexive contagiarsi means to catch an infection. Figuratively it is widely used for emotions or enthusiasm: la sua risata mi ha contagiato (her laughter was contagious). The related noun is contagio (contagion).

Examples

"Il virus ha contagiato tutta la famiglia."

Natural Translation

The virus infected the whole family.

Literal Translation

The virus has infected all the family.

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