Main Entry: in·fec·tion

Pronunciation: \in-ˈfek-shən\

Function: noun

1 : an infective agent or material contaminated with an infective agent
2 a : the state produced by the establishment of an infective agent in or on a suitable host b : a disease resulting from infection : infectious disease
3 : an act or process of infecting <syphilis infection is chiefly venereal> ; also : the establishment of a pathogen in its host after invasion