Lewis & Short

Parsing inflected forms may not always work as expected. If the following does not give the correct word, try Latin Words or Perseus.

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.], a touching, contact, touch, in a good or bad sense.

  1. I. In gen.
          1. (α) Contagio, Cato, R. R. 132 fin.: anima calescitcontagione 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.
          2. (β) Contagium, Lucr. 3, 346; 3, 740; Plin. 2, 20, 18, § 82; Mart. 11, 47.
    1. B. Pregn., a union, connection: contagio naturae valet, Cic. Fat. 3, 5.
  2. II. Freq., in a bad sense, a contacl with something physically or morally unclean, a contagion, infection.
    1. A. Lit.
          1. (α) 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.
          2. (β) 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.
    2. B. Trop., an infection, pollution, vicious companionship or intercourse, participation, contamination, etc.
          1. (α) 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, id. 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.
          2. (β) 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.
          3. (γ) Contamen, Tert. Carm. adv. Marc. 1, 1; 4, 4; Mart. Cap. 1, § 10 Kopp.