Definition

A type of disease that can be passed from animals to humans, often occurring naturally.

Example

Rabies is a well-known example of a zoonosis that can be transmitted through animal bites.

Conversation

I read an article about zoonosis the other day.

Really? What’s that about?

It talks about how some diseases can jump from animals to humans, like rabies.

Wow, that’s kind of scary! We should be careful around animals.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Zoonosis → It is formed from "zoon" (from Greek "zōon", meaning animal) and "-osis" (from Greek "osis", meaning condition or disease). The word "zoonosis" refers to a disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans.

Memory Tip

Think of 'animal' ('zoon') and a 'condition' ('-osis') that can be passed from animals to humans — that's what zoonosis means.

Visually Confused Words