In math and physics, a vector is a quantity that has both size and direction, like a force or velocity. In biology and health, a vector is an animal or insect that carries and spreads disease.
From Latin 'vector', meaning 'carrier' or 'bearer', from 'vehere' meaning 'to carry'. The idea of something that 'carries' fits both the mathematical sense (carrying magnitude and direction) and the medical sense (carrying germs).
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