Definition

The ability of a germ or virus to cause an infection in a person or animal.

Example

The infectivity of the virus was higher than expected, leading to a rapid spread of the disease.

Conversation

Did you hear about the new study on virus infectivity?

Yeah, I read that it can spread more easily than we thought.

It's crazy how quickly the infectivity can change with mutations.

Totally! It makes staying healthy so much more challenging.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Infectivity → It is formed from "infect" (from Latin "infectus", meaning to taint or dye) and "-ivity" (a suffix used to form nouns indicating a state or condition). The word "infectivity" refers to the state or condition of being able to infect or cause infection.

Memory Tip

Think of the word 'infect' which means to taint or cause disease, and remember that '-ivity' indicates a state. So, infectivity is the state of being able to cause infection.

Visually Confused Words