Plural of contagion; diseases that spread from one person to another, or the processes by which they spread.
From Latin 'contagio' meaning 'touching together' and 'disease transmission,' entering English through Old French. The plural simply adds '-s' to the standard English noun form.
The word 'contagion' literally means 'touching together'—so when we talk about social media spreading harmful ideas, we're using a disease metaphor that's centuries old, showing how diseases have always been about connection.
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