"fomes" meaning in English

See fomes in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /ˈfəʊmiːz/ [UK], /ˈfoʊ.miːz/ [US] Forms: fomites [plural]
Etymology: From medical Latin fōmes (“fomite”), a figurative extension of its original sense of kindling, tinder, etc. Gradually supplanted in use by fomite, a mistaken backformation of its plural form fomites, from Latin fōmitēs. Etymology templates: {{bor|en|la|fōmes|t=fomite}} Latin fōmes (“fomite”) Head templates: {{en-noun|fomites}} fomes (plural fomites)
  1. (obsolete, medicine) The morbid matter created by a disease. Tags: obsolete
    Sense id: en-fomes-en-noun-rcDD2DiV Categories (other): Medicine, English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 33 36 30 Topics: medicine, sciences
  2. (archaic, medicine) Synonym of fomite: a substance able to communicate infection between people. Tags: archaic Synonyms: fomite [synonym, synonym-of]
    Sense id: en-fomes-en-noun-blOAEbr5 Categories (other): Medicine, English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 33 36 30 Topics: medicine, sciences
  3. (archaic, figurative) Anything which similarly facilitates the spread of something similarly deleterious. Tags: archaic, figuratively
    Sense id: en-fomes-en-noun-3MQRXRwd Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 33 36 30

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "fōmes",
        "t": "fomite"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin fōmes (“fomite”)",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From medical Latin fōmes (“fomite”), a figurative extension of its original sense of kindling, tinder, etc. Gradually supplanted in use by fomite, a mistaken backformation of its plural form fomites, from Latin fōmitēs.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fomites",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "fomites"
      },
      "expansion": "fomes (plural fomites)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Medicine",
          "orig": "en:Medicine",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 36 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              110,
              115
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1773, Gentleman's Magazine, number 43, page 554:",
          "text": "If this putrid ferment could be more immediately corrected, a stop would probably be put to the flux, and the fomes of the disease likewise removed.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The morbid matter created by a disease."
      ],
      "id": "en-fomes-en-noun-rcDD2DiV",
      "links": [
        [
          "medicine",
          "medicine"
        ],
        [
          "morbid",
          "morbid"
        ],
        [
          "matter",
          "matter"
        ],
        [
          "create",
          "create"
        ],
        [
          "disease",
          "disease"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(obsolete, medicine) The morbid matter created by a disease."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "medicine",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Medicine",
          "orig": "en:Medicine",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 36 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              16,
              23
            ]
          ],
          "text": "Toys are common fomites.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              46,
              53
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1803, Medical & Physical Journal, number 10, page 213:",
          "text": "I cannot say that I have known it spread from fomites.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of fomite: a substance able to communicate infection between people."
      ],
      "id": "en-fomes-en-noun-blOAEbr5",
      "links": [
        [
          "medicine",
          "medicine"
        ],
        [
          "fomite",
          "fomite#English"
        ],
        [
          "substance",
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        ],
        [
          "able",
          "able"
        ],
        [
          "communicate",
          "communicate"
        ],
        [
          "infection",
          "infection"
        ],
        [
          "people",
          "people"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic, medicine) Synonym of fomite: a substance able to communicate infection between people."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "extra": "a substance able to communicate infection between people",
          "tags": [
            "synonym",
            "synonym-of"
          ],
          "word": "fomite"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "medicine",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "33 36 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              34,
              39
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1658, John Owen, Of Temptation, page 126:",
          "text": "Naturall tempers... prove a great Fomes of sinne.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Anything which similarly facilitates the spread of something similarly deleterious."
      ],
      "id": "en-fomes-en-noun-3MQRXRwd",
      "links": [
        [
          "Anything",
          "anything"
        ],
        [
          "similarly",
          "similarly"
        ],
        [
          "facilitate",
          "facilitate"
        ],
        [
          "spread",
          "spread"
        ],
        [
          "something",
          "something"
        ],
        [
          "deleterious",
          "deleterious"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic, figurative) Anything which similarly facilitates the spread of something similarly deleterious."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfəʊmiːz/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfoʊ.miːz/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "fomes"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "English countable nouns",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "English terms borrowed from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "Pages with 5 entries",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "fōmes",
        "t": "fomite"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin fōmes (“fomite”)",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From medical Latin fōmes (“fomite”), a figurative extension of its original sense of kindling, tinder, etc. Gradually supplanted in use by fomite, a mistaken backformation of its plural form fomites, from Latin fōmitēs.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "fomites",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
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      "expansion": "fomes (plural fomites)",
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    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with obsolete senses",
        "English terms with quotations",
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      ],
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        {
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            [
              110,
              115
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1773, Gentleman's Magazine, number 43, page 554:",
          "text": "If this putrid ferment could be more immediately corrected, a stop would probably be put to the flux, and the fomes of the disease likewise removed.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The morbid matter created by a disease."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "medicine",
          "medicine"
        ],
        [
          "morbid",
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        ],
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        ],
        [
          "create",
          "create"
        ],
        [
          "disease",
          "disease"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(obsolete, medicine) The morbid matter created by a disease."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "medicine",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
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      ],
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        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              16,
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            ]
          ],
          "text": "Toys are common fomites.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              46,
              53
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1803, Medical & Physical Journal, number 10, page 213:",
          "text": "I cannot say that I have known it spread from fomites.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of fomite: a substance able to communicate infection between people."
      ],
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          "medicine",
          "medicine"
        ],
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          "fomite",
          "fomite#English"
        ],
        [
          "substance",
          "substance"
        ],
        [
          "able",
          "able"
        ],
        [
          "communicate",
          "communicate"
        ],
        [
          "infection",
          "infection"
        ],
        [
          "people",
          "people"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic, medicine) Synonym of fomite: a substance able to communicate infection between people."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "extra": "a substance able to communicate infection between people",
          "tags": [
            "synonym",
            "synonym-of"
          ],
          "word": "fomite"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
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      "topics": [
        "medicine",
        "sciences"
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        "English terms with archaic senses",
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              34,
              39
            ]
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          "ref": "1658, John Owen, Of Temptation, page 126:",
          "text": "Naturall tempers... prove a great Fomes of sinne.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Anything which similarly facilitates the spread of something similarly deleterious."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "Anything",
          "anything"
        ],
        [
          "similarly",
          "similarly"
        ],
        [
          "facilitate",
          "facilitate"
        ],
        [
          "spread",
          "spread"
        ],
        [
          "something",
          "something"
        ],
        [
          "deleterious",
          "deleterious"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(archaic, figurative) Anything which similarly facilitates the spread of something similarly deleterious."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic",
        "figuratively"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfəʊmiːz/",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈfoʊ.miːz/",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "fomes"
}

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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-01-19 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-01-01 using wiktextract (d1270d2 and 9905b1f). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.