infect
v.v. to pass a disease or germs to another person, animal, or plant. It can also mean to spread a feeling or an idea to others quickly.
v. to contaminate a person, organism, or environment with a disease-causing agent. In a figurative sense, it refers to the rapid transmission of an emotion or influence to others.
Wash your hands so you do not infect anyone else.
The flu can easily infect an entire office if people do not stay home when they feel sick.
While the virus was slow to infect the local population, the panic surrounding its arrival spread with a speed that the authorities found impossible to contain.
From Middle French infect, from Latin infectus, perfect passive participle of inficiō (“dye, taint”).
Borrowed from Latin īnfectus, equivalent to in- (“not”) + factus, perfect passive participle of faciō (“to do, make”).
The verb is transitive and requires a direct object; it often takes the preposition 'with' to specify the agent of contamination.