Fomes

//ˈfoʊ.miːz// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The morbid matter created by a disease. obsolete

    "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."

  2. 2
    Synonym of fomite: a substance able to communicate infection between people. archaic

    "Toys are common fomites."

  3. 3
    Anything which similarly facilitates the spread of something similarly deleterious. archaic, figuratively

    "Naturall tempers... prove a great Fomes of sinne."

Synonyms

All synonyms
fomitegenus fomes

Example

More examples

"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."

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.

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.