fomites

F4O1M3I1T1E1S1
US/ˈfoʊ.mɪ.tiːz/US/ˈfoʊmaɪtz/

A form of fomes — Morbid matter created by a disease.

Scrabble 12
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Meanings

fomites1

noun
  1. archaicpluralplural of fomes

fomites2

noun
  1. pluralplural of fomes
  2. pluralplural of fomite

    Fomites play a significant role in the transmission of infectious agents. The list of fomites is seemingly endless and includes objects in common use... Toys are fomites and contribute to illness in children wherever the toys are shared.

    2009, Robert I. Krasner, The Microbial Challenge: Science, Disease and Public Health, page 166
    1 more example

    20. Thomas M. England, private ... volunteered and underwent the fomites experiment, sleeping 20 nights in infected bedding, for which experiment he received a donation of $100 from the Cuban funds allotted by General Wood for these experiments.

    1930, Congressional Edition, United States Congress, pages 8–9

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

oftimes
Cite this entry
APA

fomites. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fomites

MLA

“fomites.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fomites. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fomites,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fomites.

Source: fomites on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.