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pathogen

American  
[path-uh-juhn, ‑-jen] / ˈpæθ ə dʒən, ‑ˌdʒɛn /

noun

  1. any disease-producing agent, especially a virus, bacterium, or other microorganism.

pathogen British  
/ ˈpæθəˌdʒiːn, ˈpæθəˌdʒɛn /

noun

  1. any agent that can cause disease

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
pathogen Scientific  
/ păth′ə-jən /

  1. An agent that causes infection or disease, especially a microorganism, such as a bacterium or protozoan, or a virus.

  2. See Note at germ

pathogen Cultural  

  1. A disease-causing agent. Microorganisms, viruses, and toxins are examples of pathogens.

Other Word Forms

  • antipathogen noun

Etymology

Origin of pathogen

First recorded in 1940–45; patho- + -gen

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It is caused by different types of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other pathogens, and major bacterial strains include meningococcal types A, B, C, W, X and Y.

From BBC

"It expands the geographic frame for understanding how tuberculosis circulated in the past and highlights the value of integrating pathogen genomics into broader reconstructions of human history."

From Science Daily

The virus is so contagious that any misstep could kill the patient on board and infect the crew members, who would then be vectors to spread the deadly pathogens across America.

From The Wall Street Journal

One side displays adjuvant molecules arranged at carefully controlled nanometer distances, while the opposite side presents selected antigens such as peptides or proteins from tumors or pathogens.

From Science Daily

The team showed that intelectin-2 can attach to microbes carrying these sugars, including several pathogens known to cause gastrointestinal infections.

From Science Daily

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.